Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Looking Forward

Given the commercial and critical success Annie Lennox has enjoyed with her solo albums, it's surprising (though not unwelcome) to find her reuniting with professional/romantic ex-partner Dave Stewart to reform the Eurythmics. Their albums weren't always consistent, but Stewart and Lennox added up to one of the most reliable singles acts of the '80s. The sound varied over time, but "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" set the pattern for what would come: Its pairing of Lennox's soulful voice with Stewart's cold electronic instrumentation remains disconcerting in a way that the not-so-scary Marilyn Manson (who famously covered it) can only dream of emulating. Whether the group remains musically relevant when its passion-in-the-digital-age act has been co-opted by countless trip-hop purveyors remains another issue entirely. But there's little question that, with the new Peace, the duo has made a consistently enjoyable if somewhat punchless comeback. As much a continuation of Lennox's solo work as anything, the record gets its two best songs out of the way early on, the reliable pop formula of "I Saved The World Today" following the gorgeous autobiographical ode-to-self "17 Again." The rest is smooth sailing—maybe a little too smooth for its own good, although it's hard to imagine it disappointing fans of either the group or Lennox, whose vocals remain spectacular. If Peace suffers from a bit too much consistency, Looking Forward, the first album from the full lineup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young since 1988's American Dream, suffers from far too little. Lennox and Stewart may have found that you can go home again, but Looking Forward illustrates that sometimes it's better not to bother. Longtime CSNY ringer Neil Young has had the sort of career that goes against the rules of rock 'n' roll. A few misguided moments aside—it's hard to find rabid fans of most of his early- to mid-'80s work—Young has remained vital from the beginning of his career through the present. In full dreamy Harvest mode, his four contributions to Looking Forward would be welcome on any solo album. It's too bad you have to wade through the rest of Looking Forward to get to them. The harmonies still sound great, but the songwriting of Nash, Crosby, and particularly Stills (who half makes good on his threat to take up rapping on two tracks) adds virtually nothing. With most songs recorded in only a few takes with the accompaniment of such soul veterans as Donald "Duck" Dunn and Spooner Oldham, Looking Forward, Young's contributions aside, somehow seems fresh without sounding the least bit vital.