Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Diamond Shining In The Dark, 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.
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dazzling Diamond, 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
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Veteran Songwriting genius delivers the Album Of The Year so far, 19 May 2008
With this second Rick Rubin collaboration liking Neil Diamond is no longer a `guilty pleasure'. The simple brilliance of Rubin's understated production for Diamond - and the late great Johnny Cash before him - allows the power of the vocal performance and the strength of the magnificent songwriting to shine through.
These are long songs, six and seven minutes, but they are so good this is not over-indulgence. Glorious melodies and thoughtful lyrics abound, and each listen seems to uncover something new.
Some standout tracks:
`Another Day That Time Forgot' is a strikingly beautiful duet with Natalie Maines.
`One More Bite Of The Apple' is a Diamond classic that has embarrassed me at traffic lights, as strangers ogle at the lunatic in his car belting out a fabulous chorus.
`If I Don't See You Again' is a great opener, `Pretty Amazing Grace' an instant classic...I could go on but just buy it.
I've never been a huge Neil Diamond fan but for me - The Album Of The Year so far
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