In combining members of his longtime band Crazy Horse and those of more recent accompanists Booker T. & the MG's, Neil Young effectively fuses the gritty guitar-rock of his salad days with churning soul grooves on ARE YOU PASSIONATE? The '60s R&B influence is clear from the start, with opening cut "You're My Girl," which sounds like a cross between vintage Motown and one of Booker T.'s lost gems, all chirping organ and faux-Temptations backing vocals.
Partially due to chronological circumstance, this album will probably come to be known to the larger world as the one that contains "Let's Roll." The song is Young's response to the World Trade Center attacks, the title coming from the reported call-to-arms of the passengers who brought down the plane targeted for the White House. In fact, ARE YOU PASSIONATE? is full of many more impressive tunes, not the least of which being "Going Home," which recalls Young/Crazy Horse's '70s work, the 3/4-time Otis Redding-style love ballad "When I Hold You in My Arms," and "Two Old Friends," perhaps the most striking tune, whose plea for tolerance rings truer and more open-hearted than "Let's Roll." As always, there's a boatload of Young's gloriously grungy guitar work to admire throughout the album as well.