Willie Nelson and Neil Young go back at least as far as 1985’s initial Farm Aid, but nobody could’ve imagined the latter collaborating with the former’s sons. Lukas and Micah Nelson weren’t even born yet! The brothers’ Promise of the Real stomps like Young’s Crazy Horse – guitars howling – but they bring out something in their employer here that’s missing from his recent efforts. Overtly political subject matter energizes him as well. After that, two mid-album tunes make the entire effort really sing. “Big Box,” a lengthy jam in Young’s best bash-it-out tradition, builds on the haunting refrain “too big to fail, too big for jail” in taking a swipe at Wal-Mart. Sloppy country, “A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop” outs its title-checked caffeine merchant for working with agrochemical giant Monsanto with the aid of a whistle-along chorus. Heavy-handed in spots, but rewarding for lovers of all things Neil. A two-disc version of The Monsanto Years includes a DVD offering a full hour of songs, some sounding better than on the album proper.
This article appears in August 7 • 2015.