David Crosby - Croz

Though he still works tirelessly on the road with long-time collaborators, Stills, Nash and (occasionally) Neil Young, David Crosby has released just three solo albums in 40 years. Painstakingly recorded over a two-year period at his son’s house and Jackson Browne’s LA studio, Croz – his first outing in two decades is certainly worth the wait. The songs – all concerned with the human condition – are strong, while the musical backdrop is classic West Coast session playing, with chunky, jazz-tinged piano, layered acoustic/electric guitars and solid drumming and percussion. Crosby’s distinctive voice has hardly changed over the years and remains a powerful presence.

In many ways, this is the natural successor to his 1971 debut, If I Could Only Remember My Name, a record whose influence looms large on the nu-folk movement and can be heard in outfits such as Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. Crosby’s songs have always tended towards the trippy and the psychedelic, and there are echoes of his past creations everywhere. ‘If She Called’ – inspired by a group of prostitutes he witnessed outside his hotel room – is both chilling and unsettling and recalls ‘Guinevere’, while ‘Holding On To Nothing’, an organ-drenched slow rocker brings to mind ‘Long Time Gone’, the memorable Woodstock movie opening theme.

‘Radio’ has strong echoes of, ‘Carry Me’ from Deja Vu, while one of the strongest songs here, ‘What’s Broken’, features a cameo from Mark Knopfler on guitar with Crosby’s harmonies soaring to impressive heights. Elsewhere, the epic ‘Dangerous Night’ boasts a more up-to-date rhythmic texture; and the atmospheric, ‘Slice Of Time’ once again harks back to CSN territory and features another powerful vocal performance.