Nils Lofgren, one of the world’s finest guitarists, has had a tremendously busy year. Back in the spring, Lofgren released an excellent album, ‘All Roads Lead Home’, with his Crazy Horse bandmates, under the name Molina, Talbot, Lofgren & Young. Throughout the summer, he has been touring with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, sharing the joy and delivering incredibly energetic performances – I had the pleasure of attending one of the Hyde Park shows. Most importantly, for Lofgren’s longtime fans, he has just released his latest solo album ‘Mountains’. From such a gifted guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, the new release is outstanding and ranks alongside his best material. The new songs benefit from the contributions of some stellar collaborators, including the legendary Ringo Starr, Cindy Mizelle, the late David Crosby and Neil Young. Lofgren says of the new songs: “These songs are all born of raw emotion. I gave myself permission to share my fear and my anger, my love and my hope, to be open about what I was experiencing without overanalysing or editing the life out of it. I gave myself permission to be honest.”
The album opener is the dynamic ‘Ain’t the Truth Enough’. The theme is as powerful as the music – the song relates to the insurrection in the USA on 6th January 2021. Here is the brand new video for the single, featuring the wonderful voice of Cindy Mizelle adding rich tones to the song. Also, look out for the great Ringo Starr pounding those drums.
Lofgren reflects: “I grew up living through the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Kennedy and King assassinations. I thought we’d moved beyond that kind of turmoil, but more and more over the last few years, I found myself having flashbacks to the ’60s and all the uncertainty that came with it. Music has always been my sacred weapon in tough times, so when history started coming back to haunt me. I decided to reach for the guitar.” Indeed, music is a sacred weapon and Nils Lofgren demonstrates this brilliantly once again. Look out for our interview with Nils, coming soon.
