Neil Young made a soul record. Are You Passionate? teams him with Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and the pairing is meant to loosen him up, put some warmth and groove under songs about love, loss and grief. It runs 65 minutes across 11 tracks. The idea is bold. The execution is not.
The Opening Stretch
You’re My Girl opens the album on a plain, sturdy note, a domestic love song that sets the tone without straining for much. Mr. Disappointment follows and does more work, a sharper, more pointed track that several reviewers picked out as one of the record’s better moments. Differently and Quit (Don’t Say You Love Me) drift by without much friction, competent but forgettable, the M.G.’s groove doing more than the songwriting does.
Let’s Roll and the Middle
Let’s Roll is the record’s most talked-about track, written in direct response to the September 11 hijackings, and it lands with more urgency than anything around it. It stands apart from the rest of the album, a song built on immediate feeling rather than slow-burn atmosphere. The title track, Are You Passionate?, is slighter by comparison, pleasant but thin.
Goin’ Home, at 8:47, is the album’s big swing, a long, loose showcase for the band that some reviewers praised for its patience and others dismissed as bloated. It divides opinion more sharply than any other track here. When I Hold You in My Arms and Be With You settle into the same warm, mid-tempo pocket as the album’s opening tracks, pleasant enough but short on tension.
The Closing Tracks
Two Old Friends and She’s a Healer close the record out, with the latter running 9:10, the longest track on the album. She’s a Healer got singled out alongside Let’s Roll, Mr. Disappointment, Goin’ Home and You’re My Girl as one of the tracks worth remembering. Two Old Friends is not.
Where Reviews Landed
The reaction split down the middle. AllMusic called it “a muddled, aimless affair from an artist who’s had too many middling efforts over the last decade.” The Austin Chronicle was blunter: “songs are too long, too slow, and they all sound the same.” Billboard took the opposite view, calling it “a great next step in Young’s career” and “the best album he could have issued right now.”
| Outlet | Verdict |
|---|---|
| AllMusic | Muddled and aimless |
| The Austin Chronicle | Too long, too slow, too samey |
| Billboard | A great next step, the best album he could issue right now |
| Metacritic | 54/100, mixed or average |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10 |
The Verdict
The good tracks are genuinely good. Let’s Roll has real weight, Mr. Disappointment and You’re My Girl earn their place, and She’s a Healer closes the record with some ambition. But too much of the middle sags. Songs stretch past what they have to say, the M.G.’s groove papers over thin writing more often than it should, and 65 minutes feels long for what the album delivers. This is a mixed record with a handful of standout moments buried inside too much filler.
- You're My Girl4:43
- Mr. Disappointment5:24
- Differently6:03
- Quit (Don't Say You Love Me)6:03
- Let's Roll5:53
- Are You Passionate?5:11
- Goin' Home8:47
- When I Hold You in My Arms4:43
- Be With You3:34
- Two Old Friends6:15
- She's a Healer9:10
