Neil Diamond - 12 Songs

 Goodbye Girdles & Spangles!
I liked Neil Diamond for a few years in the late 60s and early 70s but found him incredibly un-hip and almost cringeworthy during the 80s and 90s. Well, color me ashamed of my feelings becuase I picked up this CD at a serious discount a few days ago and have played it almost non-stop since then. This is probably the greatest "makeover" of a mainstream pop/rock star that I've ever heard. Each song is precise, touching, and most importantly without distracting frills. I urge you to listen to it. May 2, 2008

 Not the Neil Diamond I Expected
I have been a Neil Diamond fan since the late 1960's and have purchased all Neil's albums, but for the first time I am disappointed; this is one album I wish I had not bought.

Neil's musical career as a top-100 charting singer faded away in the mid-1980's, as the popular music genre changed. Having been away from making records for so long, I expected something in the order of "Beautiful Noise", his brilliant remembrance of his years on Tin-Pan Alley put to music. Neil's first works in the 1960's were a mixture of love-ballads with a lively lead guitar and some background instrumentation. As he peaked in popularity in the mid-70's his sound transformed into a lush mixture of strings, guitar, piano, and percussion, with his voice clear and strong leading the way. I believe this is the sound most Diamond fans want to hear.

Unfortunately, the Neil Diamond of this album has none of the positive atributes of the mid-70's Diamond. He chops his vocal intonation into curt sentences instead of soaring with his once-stong vibrato. Hearing Diamond now, the characteristic voice is still there, but the smooth strong voice that could sustain a note is gone. Diamond vocalizes much like Johnny Cash did in his American Recordings. Cash was known all his career as a singer who sang with words, almost like telling a story. However, Neil Diamond has been a crooner all of his career, and to hear him sing in the stark manner on this album left me feeling uninspired and disappointed, perhaps even cheated. Diamond fans will recall the vivid inspiring uplifting instumental piece that preceeded his hit song "Headed For The Future". There are no instrumentals in this album. It is simply Diamond and his guitar. I thought the songs were too slow, (boring almost comes to mind), had little energy, and were tedious to listen to. How I wish Neil had been inspired to put together a mix of love-ballads with upbeat inspiring songs as well. I truly miss the strings and percussion that used to mark Diamond's music as distictly superior to the norm.

I realize that the critics hail this album as a great comeback success for Diamond, but I cannot agree with their assessment. Rick Rubin did wonders for Johnny Cash, but fell short with Neil Diamond. I love Neil Diamond and his music, but I cannot give this album a thumb's up recommendation. Perhaps this is why you can purchase the album on Amazon (used) for less than a dollar.

I hope Neil realizes what his fans want to hear and returns to the lush strings of his prime. However, I wonder if Diamond still has the pipes to pull off a truly great album again? The fact that he does not hold notes in this album leads me to believe he has perhaps lost his once great and distinctive voice.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig (Neil Diamond Fan forever) April 23, 2008

 12 Songs is the Best
To me this is one of Neil Diamonds's best ever CDs. I love each song and have played the CD countless times. The songs are Diamond himself. No one could write as he does. The songs are catchy and melodious. They demonstrate a wide range of emotions, from sad to 'delirious.' You can play them in your head for hours and not get bored. They seem to talk to you; they are very personal, one-on-one. I love this product! February 13, 2008

 Dissapointing to say the least...
After listening to this album several times and thinking about it a lot, I have finally realized why I just don't like it. At all. I like Neil Diamond's music because normally it is upbeat and optimistic. The songs on this album (except for Delirious Love with Brian Wilson, which is the one song I liked) are all depressing. And the minimalist arrangements just add to the dreariness. Where is the percussion? Where are the strings? Where is the Neil I used to know and love? December 5, 2007

 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! July 30, 2007

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