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EW says it best "You've encountered him before, but rarely like this. He's at the bar, nursing a drink and holding forth in that voice-of-God way. He calls himself a ''lucky old dreamer'' but worries he's ''too old to pretend'' there are happy endings. He admits he's been hurt and lied to, and that he's ''gotta say it fast'' because, as a man in his 60s, he's feeling more than a little perishable. He'll listen to your worries, but he's in need of solace and salvation himself, and he thinks he still may be able to find it with one last great love. He's a bit of a windbag, but you like him anyway, especially when he hauls out a well-trod idea like ''Be careful how time's spent, because it's never gonna last'' and makes it sound like anything but a cliché. That's the Neil Diamond we hear on 12 Songs, and it's about time. Although he's still capable of melancholic magnificence (2001's ''I Haven't Played This Song in Years,'' a worthy successor to his underrated '70s ballads), Diamond has spent the last two decades in a purgatory of sparkly shirts, unremarkable Lite FM fodder, and concert crowds who still (groan) interject ''ba-ba-ba!'' into ''Sweet Caroline.'' Rick Rubin, his new producer, decided to downsize Diamond's music. Finally, the songs don't sound as if they were arranged to fill arenas; the singer's well- preserved, Corinthian-leather voice and softly strummed chords are the focus. Only once, on the overheated ''Delirious Love,'' does Diamond risk embarrassment by getting horny-old-guy frisky. Mostly, Rubin restores a graceful simplicity to the songs, from the bashful seduction ''Save Me a Saturday Night'' to the doleful dirge ''Oh Mary,'' and ''I'm On to You'' is a marvel: a rare snappish post-breakup putdown that sounds as if Diamond were stranded in a jazz cocktail bar. 12 Songs isn't merely a reprise of Rubin's work with Johnny Cash. Rubin may have wanted to present his new client as nakedly as he did Cash, but you can almost hear Diamond resisting. Songs that start simply — like ''Hell Yeah'' and ''Evermore''— gradually swell with the addition of billowy strings and stately pianos. That tension between Rubin's desire to pare it down and Diamond's tendency to amp it up makes for the best musical checks and balances; nothing gets too unplugged or too bombastic. And Chris Martin could learn a thing or two about crafting a virile, unsappy lean-on-me ode from ''Captain of a Shipwreck'' and ''What's It Gonna Be.'' Those expecting another ''Cherry, Cherry'' will be disappointed; those days are long gone. Yet 12 Songs sounds more natural — and more honest — than, say, the latest by the Rolling Stones. Granted, it does end with ''We,'' a song so corny it could have been a TV theme had television existed in 1925. It seems an odd way to wrap up, but actually, it's about right — the sound of that guy in the bar meandering out, a hint of a spring in his step and a cautious sense of hope in his head"Read full review
Neil Diamond pairs with producer Rick Rubin Def American founder, legendary producer Rick Rubin, has turned his talents to reinventing Neil Diamond. Rubin, who has produced Red Hot Chili Peppers and AC/DC, has produced '12 Songs', the new album for Neil Diamond. Rubin was responsible for putting Johnny Cash in the studio for his final four albums and teaming him with musicians such as Flea from the Chili Peppers and Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and introducing the country legend to songwriters like Nick Cave and Trent Reznor. The results are considered some of cash's best ever work. Diamond's album features all original songs. "Most of the songs were recorded with Neil playing and singing at the same time," Rick Rubin told Rolling Stone, "and it's a different animal. It's taking him back to being more of a singer-songwriter. He really blows me away." The track listing for 12 Songs is: "Oh Mary," "Hell Yeah," "Captain of a Shipwreck," "Evermore," "Save Me A Saturday Night," "Delirious Love," "I'm On To You," "What's It Gonna Be," "Man of God," "Create Me," "Face Me," and "We." A special digipak edition of 12 Songs will feature two bonus tracks: "Men Are So Easy" and an alternate version of "Delirious Love" with guest artist Brian Wilson. Rick Rubin The co-founder of the legendary Def Jam label, producer Rick Rubin was among the key figures behind the commercial and artistic rise of hip-hop, lending his signature rap/metal style to many of the biggest records of the pre-gangsta era. Born Frederick Jay Rubin on Long Island, NY, in 1963, he was attending New York University when he and Russell Simmons founded Def Jam in 1984. Operating the company out of Rubin's dorm room, they bowed with the T La Rock and Jazzy Jay single "It's Yours," issued in association with Partytime/Streetwise. By 1985 Def Jam entered into a distribution deal with Columbia, and the label also produced its own rap movie, Krush Groove; however, even from the outset, Rubin's interests extended well beyond hip-hop, and he raised more than a few eyebrows producing Hell Awaits for the thrash band Slayer later that same year. Neil Diamond Neil Diamond is a giant of the concert business. He was the No. 1 solo touring artist of the 1990s, grossing $182 million from 461 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore. Diamond`s last full outing, the 117-date Three Penny Opera world tour in 2001-2002, grossed $88.6 million and drew more than 1.5 million people. Neil Diamond (born Neil Leslie Diamond on January 24, 1941) is an American singer/songwriter who had a number of hits in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and who maintains a very loyal following with popular live performances to this day. Diamond was born and raised in Brooklyn, attending high school with Barbra Streisand (and singing with her in the school choir). He learned to play guitar after receiving one as a gift on his 16th birthday.Read full review
Producer Rick Rubin has managed to get something new and yet familiar out of one of the best Singer-Songwriter's of our time - Neil Diamond. After completion of his last US tour in 2002, Neil Diamond did not vacation long. He went right back to where he started in music with the formulation of great songs and interesting lyrics banged out on a folk guitar. The focus is on the music all the way on this CD. Orchestrations are kept to a minimum so you get the singer and his instrument in a more pure and folksy style than we have seen since his 1971 album "Stones." The intimate nature of the music is a joy to listen to starting with the first track "Oh Mary" and taking you all the way to an interesting and different "We." If you are a Neil Diamond fan you will not be disappointed in this new CD - If you have never heard him before - and love a comfortable, down home folksy sound - this is a great place to start listening to singer-songwriter Neil Diamond.Read full review
Neil Diamond is one of the finest singers on this planet today. This album is filled with his best songs from the last two decades, and they are my favorites. Excellent for someone to start their Neil Diamond collection.
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the cd is very very good i am a big fan of neil diamond i listen to his all the time. one day i would like to see him live
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