Neil Young is at his best when he has the least protection. Like Bob Dylan and most of the real folk/country crowd, the more stuff they try to use, the less authentic they sound. Neil Young also is a bit like Paul McCartney, in that virtually every musical thought that comes into his head eventually gets released to the public. So, there is a lot of Neil Young out there, and for every brilliant moment, there are four not-so-brilliant moments. But when he gets it right, he is nearly perfect.This is an album on which Neil gets it right. He song selection is very strong, and his performances are great simplified Neil Young performances. What sets this album apart, however, is the concept, to which the poor sound of the recording (really a retro-retro sound) is essential. To call this nostalgic is to miss the point, I think. What he has done is realize that the sound of the old recordings he emulates here was an integral part of their charm. Anyone old enough to have grown-up in the REAL vinyl era, who has replaced all their favorite records over the years with various other more sonically perfect formats knows that the scratches and nicks on those old records sometimes became an integral part of the listening experience - so much so that it sometimes seems as if something is wrong with a recording which does not reproduce the pops and clicks.I think Neil Young figured that point out, and has taken it a step further, trying to reproduce the distant sound of an old Jimmy Rogers or Carter Family record. I also think the idea works, in that the sound makes the entire album sound like a ghost singing in the distance, which has a unique effect. That effect is punctuated by the answering machine messages to his deceased mother. "Don't forget to talk to Daddy..."On the whole this approach works for me, and if you like Neil Young in his no protection mode with nothing but an acoustic guitar, I think it will work for you too.