Album Review: Various Artists, Heart Of Gold: The Songs Of Neil Young Volumes II and III

April 2025 saw the release of the first volume of this charity collection, with a host of musical luminaries covering songs from Neil Young’s vast back catalogue. This time around, they’ve legendary indie label City Slang onboard to help with distribution for another two records, which like their predecessor, will benefit to The Bridge School, the charity founded in 1986 by Neil and Pegi Young.

Chances are you already know most of the music, with a host of Young standards, from ‘Helpless’ (covered by King Princess) and ‘Tonight’s The Night’ (Cold War Kids) to ‘After The Gold Rush’ (Draco Rosa) and ‘Harvest Moon’ (LP).

Out Of The Blue (Volume 2) is a mixed bag. Edie Brickell does her best Young impression on ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’, which doesn’t deviate far from the original, whereas Los Lobos’ take on ‘Cinnamon Girl’ is surprisingly rocking, and Sharlotte Gibson delivers a powerful and passionate, string-fuelled ‘Ohio’.

However, Southside Johnny and Bobby Bandiera’s acoustic, bluesy version of ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ unfortunately loses all the raw anger of Young’s original. There’s a better offering from. My Morning Jacket, who are joined by the legendary New Orleans outfit, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, for an incredible cover of ‘Out Of The Blue’.

Into The Black (Volume 3) leans heavily on Young’s 1975 opus, Zuma, with Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard delivering a delicious ‘Don’t Cry No Tears’; Modest Mouse and Califone making interesting bedfellows on the country-krautrock of ‘Barstool Blues’; and Devendra Banhart’s offering a gossamer-delicate version of ‘Pardon My Heart’.

Elsewhere, Portuguese producer RAC joins Local Natives’ founder Kelcey Ayer for an ethereal run through ‘Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), while MJ Lenderman (‘Separate Ways’) and Kurt Vile (‘When Your Lonely Heart Breaks’) sound as impressive as you’d expect them to, even if Emily Hackett’s ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ is a little too easy-listening.

For the most part, though, these are great songs, recorded for a great cause. What more do you need?

8/10