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 - Is it really a surprise?I have spent years disliking Neil Diamond. Too 'Las Vegas', too much Mr Showbiz, too much of nothing as Bob Dylan would say. But going back to the days of Sweet Caroline & Cracklin' Rosie I used to love him. What happened in-between? 12 Songs means it doesn't matter what happened. This album has completely blown me away. It is direct, sincere, has the Rubin 'less is more' approach and each song is brilliantly sung and communicated. He writes from the heart here and sings like it all matters. If you felt like I did don't ignore this cd as I was tempted to. Even when I bought it I left the shop in a 'why' frame of mind. Why? Just listen. It is a magnificent record. All great songs but if I had to pick one it would have to be 'Evermore' which made the hairs on my back stand up. Fantastic! Rating: - How about 6 stars?Of course I'm prejudiced; I've been a Neil Diamond fan since I was a young teen... I had all his albums until I moved some years ago and had to regretfully streamline my collection of "stuff". I have since replaced all of them with CD versions and they are better than ever. Neil has a powerful sense of melody - a certain taste for something deep, nostalgic and soul-full - and I always thought that he was never appreciated as he should have been. Even when they were B class, his lyrics still had a certain thing about them that is hard to describe. His "Done too soon" and "Coldwater morning" always sent an arrow into my heart. Yeah, I know that he went in for some really overdone back-up music but I just saw this as an untapped classical potential, and some of his stage performances were seriously criticized by the "snobs", but heck! He was having fun with it! What's wrong with that? Some of his music would be well-suited for orchestral arrangement and performance in my opinion. When I heard about a new album, I was afraid to listen - afraid that maybe my impressions had been illusory and I would have to encounter a Neil Diamond who wasn't what I thought he was. Well, I'm so happy I bought the album! It's more Neil, real and deeper and just being himself to the max. There are songs on this album that are so catchy that they are absolutely classic! It's as though he writes songs that NEED to be written... I understand that the album is also the last ever performance by organ player Billy Preston, who died in June 2006. That's especially poignant when you listen to "Man of God" with the strong organ back-up. The more spiritual songs such as "Create Me" and the above mentioned "Man Of God") are among my favorites. For the critics of Neil, I say listen to "Hell Yeah". Rating: - thanks again, rick rubin!neil diamond has always had a great voice. what he hasn't always had is a producer who can take that incredible voice and craft it into a great album. well, rick rubin is as good a producer as can be found. his work with johnny cash was astonshing. now mr diamond gets the same treatment. the resulting album is a stunning piece of work, showcasing a stark, uncluttered sound that is pristine and gorgeous. a great set of songs from beginning to end, sung with breathtaking sensitivity and skill. Q magazine selected this as the 19th best album of 2006. great stuff, indeed. Rating: - Aged to perfection!There is not one song in this selection that I didn't like as soon as I heard it. Neil's voice is so rich in these songs and the lyrics are outstanding with life experiences behind it. Just sit back ... listen...and enjoy! Rating: - The Life and Times of Neil DiamondI've loved Neil Diamond's songwriting for almost as long as I can remember. With great disappointment I watched him "backseat" his talent as a writer (ie employing "co-writers"; recording covers and Christmas albums) as he rose to (well deserved)superstardom as a performer. Then, as he entered his seventh decade, the old Neil Diamond began to emerge. First with "Three Chord Opera" and later with the Rubin produced "12 Songs". As if, sensing his own mortality, Neil Diamond recognized he had to deliver whatever music he had left in him. The era of three year "time outs" was long gone. So take it or leave it, he delivered "12 Songs". If you're looking for another "Sweet Caroline" look elsewhere. If "September Morn" is more your taste, you might also be disappointed. As Rolling Stone noted, this is not an album of easy listening music. This is an album of music by a master of interpersonal songcraft reflecting his thoughts and feelings in the autumn of his life. It is beautiful, at times lonely, and ultimately a little sad. We're all travelling down the same path as Neil Diamond. Don't look for "12 Songs" to grab you on first listen. This is not sing along music. But I can't help thinking that any true fan of Neil Diamond, whether s/he signed on in the 60's, 70's, 80's 90's or 00's, should find something to treasure in these songs. So I hope you can enjoy it as much as I have.
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