Average User Rating: 80% (20 Reviews)
5 / 5	Diamond Shining In The Dark A. Sweeney "campaign for real music" (London, England) - 20 May 2008 I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Neil Diamond's music. Some of his earlier work, where it is all acoustic guitars, soaring melodies and introspective, romantic lyrics are timeless classics and yet there is the other side of Neil - the artist prone to misguided, overblown, bombastic... well, cheesiness. I don't think there is any other artist in my collection who I feel so polarised about and yet he is well worth following because he is one of a handful of truly great, classic songwriters of his era still making often incredible music. Such an album was '12 Songs', his first collaboration with Rick Rubin. I absolutely adored that album and I'm more than happy to see a continuation of the same feel, style and producer, resulting in the brilliant 'Home Before Dark', a collection of understated, wonderful songs featuring an untouched Diamond voice which always sounds genuine, backed by mostly acoustic instrumentation and a desire to make music with integrity, feeling and heart. While this is still an 'easy' listen, it has a very positive, feelgood flavour running throughout the album and still manages to be very engaging and, indeed, exciting listen, 'Don't Go There' being a perfect example which makes the most of the dynamics offered by the choice of instruments. In fact, Diamond's voice is perfect for this style of music because his voice sounds great while 'cruising' and yet when he wants to, he accentuates key moments in some of the songs (such as 'One More Bite Of The Apple) by giving it glimpses of the power you know his voice still has, proving that less sometimes really is more. It is very difficult, given the quality of this album, to pick out highlights, but 'Pretty Amazing Grace' has to be up there as one of the picks, as does 'Another Day (That Time Forgot)', which features some beautiful vocals by Natalie Maines and truly sumptuous piano flourishes. 'Act Like A Man' boasts a memorable melody and could easily have, with a slightly different treatment, have been one of Neil's big hits in the 1970's. The guitar work on it is really pleasing as well. I would have to say that this album, along with '12 Songs', has to be the highlight of Neil's career so far. While I wouldn't dispute the fact that he has written at least a dozen songs more memorable than all of those contained on this collection, they are scattered throughout his career and, as far as studio albums go, consistency has been a real problem. Even 'Stones' - which I consider to be his most consistent release before '12 Songs' - has patchy moments, whereas this album doesn't have a single chink in its armour. Of course, credit for this excellent collection of songs has to go to Neil himself, but the influence of Rick Rubin cannot be understated. He has taken a man with a massive songwriting talent who, sometimes, hasn't been able to realise his ideas in the best, most aesthetically pleasing way and has been able to bring the very best out of him, resulting in two of the most consistent albums Neil has ever made. Lovely, moving stuff and highly recommended.... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Dazzling Diamond DalkeyPlayer (Ireland) - 19 May 2008 With one or two exceptions, most notably The Jazz Singer in 1980, Neil Diamond's musical output since 1976's Beautiful Noise has been dragged down by over-production and self-indulgence. It was only in 2005 when he was persuaded by Rick Rubin to allow Rubin produce what was to become 12 Songs that we were given a glimpse, once again, of the enormous songwriting talent that is Neil Diamond. That album stripped away all pretension and put Diamond's voice front and centre singing songs that were beautifully written and delivered with honesty and integrity. Home Before Dark is their second collaboration and, if anything, produces even better results. Here we have songs written from the heart, lyrically deeper than Diamond has ever gone before, melodically crafted to perfection, sometimes soothing, sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes joyful, sometimes painful: always striking powerful emotional tones. The opening track, If I Don't See You Again, running to a full seven minutes sets the tone. It is elegant and beautiful and soul-searing in its final crescendo. Pretty Amazing Grace is a hymn to the power of love and hooks the listener from the start and never lets go thereafter. It is performed masterfully by Diamond. Another Day (That Time Forgot) is a magical duet with Natalie Maines. The pitch of her voice counterpoints beautifully with the gravelly emotion of his and this song, paradoxically, is both pretty and guaranteed to tear your heart out. Forgotten, Don't Go There, and the title track are all stand-outs on a recording that contains no fillers. All in all, if you are a fan of Neil Diamond, the song-writer, you should love this collection of songs. If you have previously been turned off his music by the popular perception that his material is over the top and schmaltzy, do yourself a favour and give this recording a listen. You will be very surprised by what you hear... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Diamond is forever Amanda Richards "Hotpurplekoolaid" (ECD, Guyana) - 17 May 2008 "There are two types of people in the world: those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't." - quote from the movie "What About Bob?" If you're in the latter category, please read no further. If you're still with me, this is a "pretty amazing" album from the evergreen Mr. Diamond, taking us back to his music of the seventies, namely the "Song Sung Blue" and "Sweet Caroline" period. There's also no complaining about the length of the album, as there are five songs that are six minutes and above, and only one track below four minutes. American Idol viewers would have been treated to a live performance of the single "Pretty Amazing Grace", and if you liked that one, you're really going to enjoy this album. Other recommended tracks are: If I Don't See You Again - the first song on the album, and the longest at 7 minutes 14 seconds. Another Day (That Time Forgot) - with Dixie Chick Natalie Maines Forgotten - lots of guitars Act Like a Man - a little Moon River, a little Country, pure Diamond Whose Hands Are These - a folksy, inspiring treasure with heavy guitar and piano backing No Words - you'll be hooked from the intro (personal favorite) This is vintage Diamond, and I predict a very good year indeed. Recommended - just recommended - buy it!! Amanda Richards... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Pretty amazing, really one-eyed Jack (England) - 29 May 2008 I remember buying THE JAZZ SINGER (on vinyl) half a lifetime ago but doing my best not to tell any of my friends that I had. Like them, I was into the likes of Floyd, Zeppelin, Genesis and what have you, and I would have been bullied to death if anyone knew I liked something as schmaltzy as Neil Diamond. But I can 'come out of the closet' here and confess: Yes, I have always liked his voice and his music. Today he does sometimes sound all of his 67 years but with Home Before Dark, he has replaced Bob Dylan as the oldest chart-topper in US album history, grabbing his first ever UK No 1 as well. To put things into at least one perspective, Neil Diamond released a 'greatest hits' compilation thirty-four years ago, which included "I'm a Believer", better known as a hit for the Monkees in 1966. Yep - that's a long time ago. At well over an hour long, the 12 tracks of Home Before Dark sees Diamond return (if he ever left) to his most familiar best but without the schmaltz, instilling a sense of deja vu for many a listener old enough to remember him from his heyday of a generation or more back; one or two opening riffs had me instantly recalling classics of old such as Song Sung Blue, I don't know if it was intentional or not but either way it didn't spoil the enjoyment. His duet with Natalie Maines for 'Another Day' is great, definitely enhanced by the male/female combo than would have been the case had either sung it solo. Like many great collections of songs, sometimes you need to listen several times before you really get to like it, but already this CD is becoming the one I pick off my shelf while others collect dust. Meanwhile there will be many of a younger generation who have hardly heard of Neil Diamond at all, just a name their parents mentioned once or twice. Looking at it from all points of view this collection of songs, all penned by the man himself, will surely satisfy on every level and in some ways take them back to that era - the 1970s - when the common perception is that Diamond was at his peak. Well, it's twin peaks time, because this is as good as anything he has done. And the man can sing.... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	He's back! Romari "gm0uet" (Glasgow) - 6 June 2008 Bought the album. Been buying ND albums since 1974! Saw him live for the first time in Glasgow last night at Hampden Stadium. The weather was terrible , the music, well words won't describe it...pure Diamond. Just like his new album. Can't get pretty amazing grace out of my head. This is not really a sing a long but a more serious work that I feel that many years ago just would not have made it. It just goes to show that Diamond can write some cracking pieces of music, and long may he continue to do so. Hot August Night is still my favourite!!... Read Full Review »