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Home Before Dark

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List Price: $13.97

Our Price: $9.99

You Save: 28.49%

Average Customer Rating: 4.0 /5

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Company: Sony

Publisher : Sony

Artist : Neil Diamond

Manufacturer : Sony

Description

Remarkably Home Before Dark is the first US chart topping album of Neil Diamond's forty year career. It appears to repeat the formula behind 2006's acclaimed 12 Songs--relatively understated arrangements and a subtle Rick Rubin production. But Diamond, though sixty-seven years old and the oldest recipient of a Number One so far, is no Johnny Cash, turning his unique voice to some well chosen contemporary material. Instead Home Before Dark is a collection of new Diamond songs, and though they might not match the boomers in his back catalogue they are hardly stripped back. These are songs designed to fill large venues alongside the showstoppers in Diamond's still energetic live show. "Pretty Amazing Grace" is in the great tradition of Diamond songs that defy their corniness with sheer catchiness, as is "One More Bite of the Apple" while "Don't Go There" features bracing backing vocals and a delightfully dated wobbly guitar hook. The duet with Natalie Maines, "Another Day (That Time Forgot)", would fit comfortably on American country radio while "The Power of Two" sounds like another hit in waiting. In fact this is more a conventional Diamond collection than a Rick Rubin production, dominated by lightly understated country rock arrangements played by a crack team including Smokey Hormel, Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell and the usually experimental Matt Sweeney. This is a charming and consistently solid set, though Home Before Dark does lack the unexpected intensity that made 12 Songs stand out so. -—Steve Jelbert

Customer reviews for 'Home Before Dark'

«Best in years!»

This is Neil's best recording in years. I admit to being a big fan and love all of his music but this one is really special. The words are so full of meaning combined with beautiful music and his voice--Well, I just listen to it over and over.

[Thursday, September 25, 2008]

«More of the same like "12 Songs", with slightly more instruments»

In 2005, Neil Diamond released a sparse-sounding album called "12 Songs", produced by uber-producer Rick Rubin, mostly songs of just Neil and his acoustic guitar, and the album did surprisingly well commercially. Now comes this album, again produced by Rick Rubin.

"Home Before Dark" (12 tracks; 64 min.) is generally speaking in the same vein as "12 Songs". Although additional instruments are featured,the album continues the same quiet sound of "12 Songs", and at times it sounds great (such as "Pretty Amazing Grace"), but at other times it cries out for more. Another issue for me is that a lot of the songs go on for what seems an eternity (check the opener 7+ min. "If I Don't See You Again"), in fact half of the album's songs are 6 min. or longer.

This is not a bad album, but some of the songs sound to me like they are demos that could've benefitted from/cry out for a more fleshed-out sound (no drums on this album, for one thing), such as "The Power of Two", which seems like it could've been a classic Neil ballad but seems unfulfilled here. The fact that this album crashed in at No. 1 of the Billboard 200 upon its release absolutely astounded me, but I guess that only shows how much out of touch I am with "mainstream America". In all, I liked this album better than "12 Songs" but I guess I am still pining for a return to the more "up-beat" sound of Neil Diamond.

[Wednesday, September 10, 2008]