Aiming at hearts, not charts

Neil Young

“Greendale” (Reprise)

****

This two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has a wild, experimental streak that sometimes leads him into treacherous waters -- and the news about this “musical novel” must have made even devoted fans take a deep breath.

Against all odds, however, the man with the quivering voice and howling guitar is at his boldest and most personal in this wonderfully ambitious work. In “Greendale” (in stores Tuesday), Young weaves the fictional story of a small-town family (the Greens) into a sort of “state of the union” address that touches on Orwellian inroads on personal freedom, tabloid media and social apathy.

Grandpa Green, the main character in these 10 thematically related songs, frets about the same mistakes being made generation after generation.

In a wry moment early in the album, Grandpa even takes a playful swipe at songwriters -- like Young -- who keep spinning their idealistic tales: “Seems like that guy singin’ this song / Been doing it for a long time / Is there anything he knows / That he ain’t said?”

What Young says here is that little does change -- most people in Greendale just go through life, often responding to arbitrary twists and turns without leaving much of a mark. But Young clings to a relentless, John Lennon-like belief in the possibility of positive change. Thus, Grandpa’s lingering optimism is picked up by his granddaughter, who becomes a warrior for the environment.

The music is as inspiring as the message. Joined by Crazy Horse drummer Ralph Molina and bassist Billy Talbot, Young has rarely made music quite so rich and affecting. The opening tracks with a bluesy, boogie foundation, complete with sing-along choruses, and the finale has all the feel-good bounce of a Broadway musical number.

Young has woven these songs into a triumphant stage production and even turned it into a film due this fall. The album package includes a DVD, drawn from Young’s solo acoustic presentation of “Greendale” in Dublin.

In an age when so many musicians aim for nothing more than a place on the charts, Young reaches boldly here for our hearts. It’s a naive, even corny goal, of course. But it feels so welcome.

Robert Hilburn

Neptunes take a robotic risk

The Neptunes

“The Neptunes Present

‘The Clones’ ” (Arista)

***

The Neptunes’ new label is called Star Trak and the “Clones” might be a reference to the “Star Wars” prequel “Attack of the Clones,” but the tacit nod to this album’s dusted, minimal, robotic quality is unsettling. The album (in stores Tuesday) features 18 new tracks with the writing-producing team’s most high-profile collaborators, but this time they’ve decided to hold the bling.

Compared to Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo’s massively commercial party anthems such as Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” and dance pop such as Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body,” this album’s series of clap-track-and-rap numbers is indeed clone-like, much more in line with their stripped-down 2002 hit, “Grindin’,” by hard-core rappers Clipse. It’s a risky approach, holding the album together by tamping down the flare-outs that make hits.

From the kickoff track, a Busta Rhymes tune whose title urges you to ignite your rear end, the ultra-spare beats put an emphasis on the vocals, and when they’re high energy, like Busta’s or Clipse’s, it works. Ludacris carries the day with a playful, bouncing party song that is both an acknowledgment and a denial that parties do end, that people go bankrupt or to jail or get hurt. Similarly, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, now going by the name Dirt McGirt, turns in his best, wiggiest performance in years.

But the production style seems to work less well with the low-energy delivery of Snoop Dogg and Rosco P. Coldchain, reducing their party-time invitations to stark, dark commands. Three rock songs are utterly out of place in the mix.

The first single, “Frontin’,” featuring Curtis Mayfield-style vocals by Williams and rap by Jay-Z, is a great piece of minimal, Prince-esque funk -- a style for which this approach works best.

-- Dean Kuipers

Quick spin

Wynonna

“What the World Needs Now Is Love” (Curb)

**

The world may need love, but what a woman with one of the great voices in all of country and rock needs is a sense of direction. You know there’s trouble when she includes “Sometimes I Feel Like Elvis,” another lonely-at-the-top lament. The one real standout is a track reuniting the Judds, suggesting that, for this singer, going home to mama Naomi might be the best thing she could do.

-- Randy Lewis

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted