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LISTEN UP: ALBUM OF THE WEEK
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12 Songs
Neil Diamond
The leathery bourbon-flavoured voice reminisces about the pain of love that has grown old and cold.It tells the yarn of an entertainer who counts himself a "lucky old dreamer" for having lived this crazy life in the spotlight even as he quaked among the fans and hangers- on.
And then he positively bursts with joy as he sings about finding love again. Neil Diamond has become celebrated in the past decade for his record-breaking tours and his sequinned, almost cabaret performance of a rich repertoire of classic hits.
On 12 Songs, legendary producer Rick Rubin has made Diamond dig deep into his past to find his musical future.
He wanted to strip Diamond back to the essentials - a man and his guitar talking about love and his place in the world.
Adding superbly played keys, percussion and the occasional orchestral climax, Rubin reminds Diamond's fans of the artistry of Diamond's craft, as he did with Johnny Cash and his voice.
You can almost hear the creative tension between the two as Rubin insists his subject plays acoustic guitar as he sings, something Diamond hasn't done for years because he doesn't rate his abilities on the instrument.
Standouts include the controlled build of his ode to lost love, Evermore, the late-night jazz bar swing of I'm Onto You and the biographical celebration of his troubadour life, Hell Yeah. This is an album that will not only find favour with his fiercely loyal fans, but also with with those enjoying the boom in the singer- songwriter genre.
KATHY MCCABE
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