Crosby, Stills & Nash
CSN

THE REVIEW

...a roaring fire, a glass of red wine, a slice of cheese... the rolling of a boat, a gust of wind, the voices of friends... time passing by, nostalgia... yes, for me this is the magic of this album...

In 1977, "Crosby, Stills & Nash" reunited, after the success of their first two studio albums, the self-titled "Crosby, Stills & Nash" from 1969 and "Deja-vù" with Neil Young from 1970, as well as, again with Neil Young, the fabulous live album "4 Way Street" from 1971. They reunited and released an album with the very simple title CSN, the acronym of their initials. The album, endowed with a wonderful cover showing the three artists smiling on a sailboat, may seem to shift towards lighter and more accessible compositions compared to their previous works, possibly due to more refined arrangements. However, although there was undeniably an evolution in this regard, it remains a fantastic work.

This is a classy album, and it is for the quality of the arrangements, the quality of the compositions, for the extraordinariness of the singing, the true strength of the trio, capable of performing unique harmonies in their harmonious beauty. There is room for "rhythm" with songs like "Shadow Captain," "Fair Game," "Dark Star," rhythms ranging from "folk rock" to "country" up to a certain kind of "funky jazz". The whole is imbued with a subtle vein of "nostalgia," present in almost all the album's tracks, but particularly in the ballads, "Carried Away" and "Cold Rain," where piano notes accompany the magical harmonies of the three artists. Then there are two tracks, "Anything At All" and "Just A Song Before I Go," for which the only possible definition is: "of great class," therefore, I cannot describe them, they must be listened to and internalized depending on one's own sensitivity. Finally, let me tell you about "Cathedral," which alone is worth the purchase of the album... poignant, choral, unique...

In conclusion, I would frankly have suggested, to all those who love classy music, music done right, music for refined tastes, to listen to this album, but I said to myself, "these people" already own it... so I recommend it to everyone else... listen to it, it is a rare gem...