Home Before Dark Reviews

• Diamond is forever

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-05-16
  "There are two types of people in the world: those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't." - quote from the movie "What About Bob?"
  
  If you're in the latter category, please read no further.
  
  If you're still with me, this is a "pretty amazing" album from the evergreen Mr. Diamond, taking us back to his music of the seventies, namely the "Song Sung Blue" and "Sweet Caroline" period. There's also no complaining about the length of the album, as there are five songs that are six minutes and above, and only one track below four minutes.
  
  American Idol viewers would have been treated to a live performance of the single "Pretty Amazing Grace", and if you liked that one, you're really going to enjoy this album.
  
  Other recommended tracks are:
  
  If I Don't See You Again - the first song on the album, and the longest at 7 minutes 14 seconds.
  
  Another Day (That Time Forgot) - with Dixie Chick Natalie Maines
  
  Forgotten - lots of guitars
  
  Act Like a Man - a little Moon River, a little Country, pure Diamond
  
  Whose Hands Are These - a folksy, inspiring treasure with heavy guitar and piano backing
  
  No Words - you'll be hooked from the intro (personal favorite)
  
  
  This is vintage Diamond, and I predict a very good year indeed.
  Recommended - just recommended - buy it!!
  
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, May 15, 2008
  
  
  

• Lifelong fan's reaction

  
  By A2OFSK60KFJB4H on 2008-05-07
  I have been a Neil Diamond fan my whole life. One of the first songs I remember learning by heart is "Song Sung Blue," taught to me when I was three or four by my then-teenage sisters. I was taken to my first concert when I was about 10. I've grown up with this man's music -- singing it, teaching it to myself on the guitar and piano, returning to old favorites as I got older and finding nuances that I had missed when I was younger.
  
  This is, hands down, his finest album. I feel a little sorry for the reviewers both here and in the media who can't see that. Those who long for the boom-boom-boom of the 80s, the sequins and muttonchop whiskers, are forgetting that, first and foremost, Neil Diamond is a songwriter. For too many people, the whole Neil Diamond thing has never actually been about the music. It's all about "the scene," the big events, the production numbers, the over-the-top orchestrations and the oversized flag descending onstage at the end of "America." Really, it's too bad that not everyone can hear these songs for what they are: some of the best of his career, right up there with anything he wrote 30 years ago.
  
  Over the years I've turned my husband, a die-hard classic rock aficionado, into a fan. We caught our nine-year-old daughter singing along to "Pretty Amazing Grace" in the car last night. If that doesn't prove the timelessness of these new songs, and the man who wrote them, I don't know what will. I hope he keeps recording with Rick Rubin and this stripped-down little band until he's ready to call it quits -- a long time from now.
  
  

• Love this CD!!!

  
  By A2SSHIFKMZR09M on 2008-05-08
  Home Before Dark may not resemble the music that Neil turned out in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's however the songwriting and performing on this CD is nothing less than incredible. This is a new style for Neil, which he started with 12 Songs, and in my opinion he has fined tuned it in Home Before Dark and made it his own in a very extraordinary way. Don't buy this CD if you are looking for a CD full of Sweet Caroline songs however if you are a serious music lover and Neil Diamond fan I would highly recommend purchasing this CD. This CD showcases Neil's talent at its best!!
  
  Way to go Neil!! Hope this CD makes it to #1!!!!!!!!!
  
  

• Possibly the finest recording of Diamond's career

  
  By A28JI9LW8V84TO on 2008-05-07
  Diamond's second collaboration with Rick Rubin, following on from 12 Songs, sees him embrace, more fully, the stripped down production values that put a premium on songcraft and honesty of delivery. This is a very intimate, personal, lyrical and powerful piece of work. Where Diamond had been a little tentative in his approach to Rubin's uncluttered production values on 12 songs, here he is confident and authoritative and fully committed.
  
  The opening track, If I Don't See You Again, sets the tone for the entire collection. Running to a full 7 minutes it is superbly crafted and lyrically engaging. It is one of those songs that engages fully on first hearing and then improves with every subsequent exposure.
  
  Pretty Amazing Grace, the song Diamond performed recently on American Idol, draws you in, builds beautifully and stays in your head long after it is over.
  
  The Duet with Natalie Maines, Another Day (That Time Forgot), is one of the highlights of this collection. The song is wistful and wonderful and the way their voices complement each other is exquisite.
  
  Forgotten is almost a throwback to Diamond's Bang days, but here is a man who has lived a full life and is not pretending otherwise. The Power Of Two is a power love song in the best Diamond tradition.
  
  I could go on, but you get the picture. This is a collection I would heartily recommend to anyone that enjoys pure songwriting, delivered simply, elegantly, eloquently and with integrity and passion. I thought 12 Songs was one of the records of 2005. This is superior in every way
  
  

• nice follow-up

  
  By A43MCGIUFXOYH on 2008-05-07
  this is a great second edition to the Rick Rubin/Neil Diamond collaborations. Neil seems to bring everything to his craft for this one. I would have liked at least one song with a bit more groove to it, but such a song might have stuck out like a sore thumb.
  
  
• .
  By AR8BQV46C7E98 on 2008-05-07
  In Home Before Dark Neil Diamond may have written the first song in pop history to reference a bug stuck in a bowl trying to get out... hardly a poetic image. But he has done it here on his latest outing, once again produced by master producer Rick Rubin. There are some definite "cringe" moments in Home Before Dark, such as when Diamond utilizes the sophmoric commercial device of spelling out the title of one of his songs - Forgotten - letter by letter. He did the same thing in Mission of Love from Three Chord Opera, and also in the title cut from his In My Lifetime collection. When he falls prey to this silly device I think of Hall and Oates singing M-E-T-H-O-D O-F L-O-V-E in their 80's hit Method of Modern Love. I really don't want to think of Hall and Oates at all. Where is the the Neil DIamond who wrote the masterful Stones from 1971, I've Been This Way Before, Lady Magdalene, or Songs of Life. Diamond used to be a great poet, but now one can almost hear the awkward strain of Diamond trying to get a phrase to rhyme in some of these new compositions. Diamond's last several CD's have been billed by his PR as highly personal, intimate, and self revealing. I think most fans have had enough of the intimate, soft side of Diamond. How wonderful would it be if Diamond would release an album of bouncy rock tunes songs that were actually fun to listen to.
  
  
• Neil Diamond - A legend of all time for all ages
  By A23PZ96N8531B5 on 2008-05-07
  I have spent so many wonderful, wonderful moments listening to Neil Diamond throughout my life. We were driving to Pittsburgh in March and my daughters ages 7 and 3 respectively and my husband, (who had not listened to any of Neil Diamond songs, until he met me) were all singing along to the Neil Diamond songs. I had taken several CD's for the trip, but we ended up only listening to Neil Diamond all the way up to Pittsburgh and back to Canada.
  
  We simply love Neil Diamond and I am so happy to share what I have felt and what the Neil Diamond songs have meant to me with my two children and my husband. Whenever we go out now, all we listen to is Neil Diamond.
  
  Keep on with your songs Neil Diamond - don't stop ever!!!
  
  
• over 40 years and
  By A3F3XULKAD1XRV on 2008-05-09
  still going strong! Home Before Dark proves again what a great lyricsist and singer Neil Diamond is!
  
  
• Great album !
  By A167EPYPFWOGS5 on 2008-05-07
  I love it but anything I say will just end up being a rave so my only comment is that I hope Neil Diamond and Rick Rubin keep working together. I think Neil Diamonds best years may be ahead. Creating intelligent and unique music that looks back at life and forward into the mystery. It's a breath of fresh air, it deserves a Grammy.
  
  
• What happened to Neil?
  By A1A3ACDSJCVR7D on 2008-05-07
  Listened to the CD last night for the first time - and was very disappointed. I expected, based on the excitement Neil expressed in interviews prior to the release of the CD, that it would be a very lively, uplifting arrangement of music. It is far from that. For me (and I've followed and loved Neil Diamond for more than 20 years), it was incredibly ordinary and boring - and many of the songs are similar and repetitive. The image it created was that of an aging singer at a local tavern strumming his guitar. There are only 1 or 2 good songs; the rest were, well, forgettable. Very disappointing.
  
  
• One Of Neils Best
  By A2DCTQXCOXRWEY on 2008-05-07
  Without going into many words about this album, this is one of Neil Diamonds best albums. The words are deep and you can really feel what he is singing. The stripped down sound is a big leap from his 80's and 90's style, which just go's to show how versatile he is. I recommend this album to all, and make sure you listen to it a couple of times before you judge, you will find that me and the other high reviews are correct.
  
  
• What A Diamond
  By A115UTSC30W92U on 2008-05-10
  Neil is the most prolific songwriter, music arranger, lyricsist an compser and arranger, and then after all of that he is the most fantastic entertainer and showman and even more; its his voice. He says, "his voice is gravael and low" it sure is, and how we love his baratone gravel voice.
  
  When he comes out to entertain, boy does he do it, and do it well.....Now, for the best news of the day, his new CD/DVD "Home Beofore Dark" it is a wow! It is really one of his best and it seems that most of the world thinks so too. I would not be surprised if this CD goes to number 1, that is how beautiful his 14 songs are. He truly hit the high notes this time.
  
  I adored "12 Songs", and still do, but "Home Before Dark" is so beautiful, sensitive, sensual and fun. The music and the words are so well choesn. He truly is the poet of our time in the music world.
  
  I will be attending 2 shows; one in San Diego, CA and another at San Antonio, Tx. I can't wait to hear him sing his new songs.
  
  He is no Diamond in the Rough any longer. He is now a Gem.
  
  
• what a waste!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  By A2FFUJCX7VMAC2 on 2008-05-07
  Is this really Neil??????? What a waste of talent.Where's the passion?Where's the power of music??I know he can do much better,he's not past his prime.What does he give us? Melted ice cream!!!That's it!!Ihave to go put on diamond's greatest hits to bring him back to life!!!
  
  
• Tired
  By A5ZCAL2ZCA6F8 on 2008-05-07
  I have loved Neil all my life, and bought all of his albums in every format, plus the boxed sets.
  
  But this is just not the Neil that I fell in love with. This is a tired almost dreary reminising about life.
  
  
  
  
• DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH!
  By AHQ4BHTO39ZW5 on 2008-05-08
  Neil Diamond's new release "Home Before Dark" is a laid back recording produced by Rick Rubin and although I do not think it reaches the peaks of his early years, I have to say this recording shows Neil writing and singing his songs at a latter day peak. The stripped down production provided by Rick Rubin adds a very organic feel to the music, with Neil's voice, bare and authentic. The soft acoustic tones of Mike Campbell's guitar lays down the perfect backround for Neil Diamond's softened but still robust voice. These are songs of love, life and aging that only someone with Neil's experience can offer.
  
  Opening with "If I Don't See You Again" and "Pretty Amazing Grace" the foundation of the record is layed before us. Both containing beautiful melodies and the subdued feeling of someone singing from his heart, unconcerned about radio play. Other highlights are the gorgeous duet with Natalie Maines on "Another Day", the never-say die "One More Bite of the Apple", the upbeat "No Words" and the title track. These songs can only get better with time.
  
  Neil Diamond has recorded some of the best songs of his career on "Home Before Dark". It portrays a man who is confident in where he has been and has nothing left to prove-except to himself. And Neil Diamond proves that he can still draw a winning hand without flashing it in your face.
  
  
• NOT the Neil Diamond of the 60's and 70's.
  By AJIT88JWE7PNS on 2008-05-26
  I am a HUGE Neil Diamond fan, and was excited that Producer Rick Rubin wanted to get Neil Diamond "back to his roots," expecting more songs like "Holly, Holy," "I Am...I Said," or anything from "Moods," "The Jazz Singer," "Beautiful Noise," or "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"; songs that are varied and move seamlessly from lush ballad, clap-along-pop, to driving rock'n roll. Sadly, NONE of these elements are present on this album, with the exception of "Pretty Amazing Grace," which is brilliant.
  
  Shockingly, Producer Rick Rubin thinks that making Neil Diamond "cool" again requires insisting that each song go without drums, strings, or anything else other than barely audible guitar and intermittent piano.
  
  This collection is so incredibly drab and depressing it should have been called, "Music to slit your wrists to," literally.
  
  The problem for Neil is that Producer Rick Rubin is also the head of his record company, so this album has been expertly marketed, resulting in high initial sales as people expect to hear the Neil Diamond sound they love from the 60's and 70's. Unfortunately, that classic sound is nowhere, I repeat NOWHERE, to be found on this absolutely horrendous album.
  
  
• DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH SHINES BRIGHTLY ...
  By A335GY54CQ42V9 on 2008-05-09
  Neil Diamond's new CD, Home before Dark, is brilliant, sparkling, multi-faceted, clear, pure and flawless. Everything you'd excpect from a Diamond and more! And that's just for the first song, "If I Don't See You Again."
  
  As a loyal fan of Diamond's music dating back to the 60s, Home Before Dark is the quintessential conglomerate of this man's talent, creative artistry and confessional soul-bearing. Nothing about Neil is phony ... there are no cubic zirconias anywhere near this Diamond. He is raw, he is honest, he is deep, he is real ... and he is human. His lyrics tell the story of his life and his music caresses and enfolds those words beautifully and masterfully on Home Before Dark. And it leaves you wanting more ... to know him more, to know his music more and to learn more ... about life and human failings and love that is gained and lost and regained again.
  
  If you love a story, and if you love music, then treat yourself to a musical story of life with its ups, downs and all the in-betweens that go along with it. Neil Diamond is a masterful storyteller and interpreter of lyric - second only to the immortal Frank Sinatra in my opinion - but Neil is telling it "his way" today with the same poignancy and depth as Ol' Blue Eyes himself, and with more than just a touch of some "pretty amazing grace."
  
  Run, don't walk to your nearest musical outlet and get this incredible piece of Neil's soul, and then be sure to get home before dark to listen well into the wee small hours of the morning. By daylight, you will be lifted, inspired, entertained and grateful.
  
  
  
  
• I Love Home Before Dark!
  By AXI68N6KCJA9D on 2008-05-09
  I love Neil's new CD, Home Before Dark. I really like the guitars and piano. I like the simplicity of the music but it is so intense. I love the duet with Natalie Manes. I loved it the first time I heard it. Pretty Amazing Grace is just wonderful. I love Whose Hands Are These. I really love all the songs on the CD. It is not Neil as a young performer but Neil as a mature wonderful man.
  
  
• Neil at his timeless best
  By AHM8WJ1G8FA3G on 2008-05-16
  I've been a fan of Neil Diamond ever since I heard the 33 1/3 LP live "Hot August Night".
  
  "Home Before Dark" is Neil at his songwriting best!! Superbly performed. The CD player in my car is now set at "repeat disc" for this CD. All the songs are great.
  
  Very introspective and soul searching songs!!
  
  Put it on, go for a long drive and hear it again on your return drive home.
  
  
• Coming home again with Neil
  By A2S7DYMAYHWVPB on 2008-05-19
  Thank you Mr Diamond. Because after 40+ years of loving your music and growing up into my own life, your newest cd feels like a valentine from a long-ago best friend. I am terribly grateful you gave birth to these lovely songs and then gave them to all of us. May we all be reminded that life gives us opportunities for "one more bite of the apple" if we only remember to look up from our busy lives to see that they are there. Especially, as in those moments I stop everything I'm doing just to listen to one of your songs.
  
  Perhaps a review should cover content and contain terribly insightful commentary....
  But I guess I'd just rather say THANK YOU, and then go back to listening.
  
  
• Classic Neil Diamond, great songwriting, great album
  By A1N0HXWQLD9OQX on 2008-05-22
  I was sitting in a Starbucks working with my laptop when I noticed a song from this album playing from the store sound system. It stopped me, and I nonchalantly thought, wow, this sounds like the Neil Diamond of old, good stuff. I went back to work, but then noticed the store was playing the whole album, and that song after song was, like, really good. I finally just stopped to listen, and was amazed at how strong the album really was. And then I thought, just a minute, I thought this guy was over 60. So I had to buy the CD, and it is classic Neil Diamond, maybe in some ways even better and stronger. I hope a lot of people notice this as well, it needs to be heard.
  
  
• "Home"Sweet Home
  By A1AJR4BFQ5AW68 on 2008-05-25
  "Home Before Dark" is the follow-up to the acclaimed 12 Songs and,in my opinion,is proof that 12 Songs was just a warm-up practice for this masterpiece."Another Day(That Time Forgot)","Forgotten","One More Bite Of The Apple","Pretty Amazing Grace" and the haunting title song that closes the disc are the highlights of an album that nothing BUT highlights,including the bluesy "Don't Go There" and "Act Like A Man".Dig in and enjoy!
  
  
• Christians will especially love these deep, soulful melodies.
  By A1FBHWFM3QYP08 on 2008-06-20
  I bought this CD because I was intrigued by what new and wonderful music Neil could come up with now. I wasn't a bit disappointed; in fact, I was very impressed. The songs are richer and more soulful than anything I've ever heard from him, and Christians will especially feel the magnitude of his faith. Don't expect "icky-sweet," because these songs are honest and woven with the pain of having had a few bumps in the road. But for most of us, that is just the kind of music we can relate to. Whether you're a Christian, or not, buy this CD. It will stir your heart and soul like nothing you've heard in a long time!
  
  
• Home Before Dark
  By A1C0F8L5NB0K4M on 2008-06-24
  This is vintage Neil Diamond. Every song is worth listening to. The more you listen, the more it grows on you. Quality of CD is excellent. Neil is aging, but you would not know it by the production of this CD. The "album" notes are instructive and informative. If you like Neil Diamond, you will not be disappointed with this CD.
  
  
• We all get better with age
  By A2MTGU3RFUCCKI on 2008-05-12
  If you're a true Neil Diamond fan, you will love this album. Yes his age is showing but in a good way. No more shouting or stretching his vocal cords. Just the beautiful tone of his voice shining through along with gorgeous instrumentals and the lyrics? Listen to them - inspiring!!
  
  Neil, don't stop writing and keep going in this direction, beautiful, spiritual, sensual music that puts the listener into another world....a good world. I think this is your best work ever since you reached down into your soul and it shows!!!!!
  
  
• Rubin Continues to Serve Diamond Well
  By A1IPKXRHJJK113 on 2008-05-13
  This followup to "12 Songs," also produced by Rick Rubin, is nearly as good as "12 Songs." Rubin is successfully doing for Diamond what he did for Johnny Cash. Diamond's writing is as strong as it has ever been, and Rubin's stripped-down "arrangements" suit the material and the artist perfectly. There is not a bad cut on this CD, and some of it, including the brilliant opening song,"If I Don't See You Again" is quite lovely. These two Rubin-produced CDs are Diamond's best sustained work since "Beautiful Noise." For those who like to trash Diamond, they should give a listen to these two CDs. These CDs are as good as any indy-alt work out there today, and better than most of it. Rubin understands that with many great artists less is more. That is certainly the case here. Listening to these two CDs, I only wish that Rubin would produce new work by Jerry Lee Lewis (who still seems to be in good voice) and the Everly Brothers. Now that would be a great treat for those who love great American music.
  
  
• Diamond is Forever!
  By A190KRNWI4E0H on 2008-05-14
  To begin, I'm reminded of a line spoken by the title character in a 1989 film entitled "What about Bob." In the film, Bob (played by Bill Murray) proclaims to his shrink, "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love Neil Diamond, and those who don't."
  Well, I'm happy to report that those who love Neil Diamond will embrace his music even more ardently after listening to this passionate, well-produced recording. And for those who don't yet consider Mr. Diamond a sparkling addition to your musical libraries, I promise you that you may have a change of heart for the man and the method of his music after giving "Home Before Dark" a listen. It truly is an exploration of self-discovery. And while you listen for the second or third time, don't forget to read the liner notes Mr. Diamond has provided. It's a well written account of what inspires this man and keeps him turning out some of the best music in the last forty years.
  
  
• Diamond Not in the Rough with Rubin by His Side for a Second Collaboration
  By A13E0ARAXI6KJW on 2008-05-15
  At an age when most people retire, Neil Diamond managed a truly transcendent return to form with the release of 2005's 12 Songs thanks primarily to the behind-the-scenes work of Rick Rubin, the renegade producer who directed the late Johnny Cash to produce similarly stellar results on his acoustic 1994 return to form, American Recordings. For his latest recording, Diamond has wisely re-teamed with Rubin, and comparisons with the previous stellar effort are inevitable. Although the legendary musician's unique talent as both songwriter and performer are in full evidence, the 2008 result is simply not as revelatory as "12 Songs". The acoustically-oriented arrangements that worked so well before somehow don't seem quite enough this time around because Diamond's newest compositions seem to beg for fuller arrangements. On the upside, the core ensemble of "12 Songs" has thankfully returned and perform strongly - not just Diamond but also Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers and Smokey Hormel on guitars and another Heartbreaker, Benmont Tech, on keyboards.
  
  While all twelve songs reflect Diamond's sterling craftsmanship, they are somewhat more variable in musical quality than one would hope. The opening track, the declarative "If I Don't See You Again", is a smooth-as-silk transition from "12 Songs" perfectly reflecting Diamond's true pop sensibilities, even if it runs too long at over seven minutes. Moreover, only Diamond could bring such dynamic conviction to his melodramatic ode to love's transcendence, "Pretty Amazing Grace", replete with his aggressively played fretwork at the song's climax. He displays a welcome sense of humor with the clever lyrics on the bluesy "Don't Go There", especially with the emphatic, frog-throated repeat of the chorus. It melds nicely into "Another Day (That Time Forgot)", a haunting duet with the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines about not getting over a long-lost love. It's suitably heartbreaking, even though Maines' reedy soprano does not make her Diamond's most ideal partner, at least tonally.
  
  Diamond uses every metaphor imaginable for seeking second chances on "One More Bite of the Apple" building to quite a guitar-strumming crescendo. The mood of the recording becomes slightly mercurial at this point with the undeniably catchy "Forgotten" followed by the slow waltz of "Act Like a Man". Despite his bold guitar strumming, the anthem-like "Whose Hands Are These" comes across as a bit too slight to be genuinely memorable, while the Billy Joel-like "No Words" gallops along without really going anywhere. As a classroom example of straight-ahead pop music, "The Power of Two" is refreshing even if the chorus is inane - "We have the power of two...me and you!". Starting out like a country reel, "Slow It Down" takes its title too literally and becomes a dirge. Fortunately, he rebounds with the nominal closing track, as the title tune is classic Diamond - beautiful, full of yearning and lots of pointed references to the open road. He continues to be a troubadour for the ages despite the variability of his latest offering.
  
  
• A Neil Diamond CD even those who don't like him (that's me) can enjoy
  By A1725KPO7A5ULX on 2008-05-15
  The ultimate commentary on Neil Diamond comes from a film, What About Bob?
  
  "There are two types of people in the world: those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't."
  
  I don't.
  
  Song Sung Blue, Cracklin' Rosie, Sweet Caroline, Shilo, Cherry Cherry, Holly Holy, He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother) --- these may have been #1 hits, but they make me cringe.
  
  Okay, I did like him --- for a minute or three. It was at a Ralph Lauren fashion show, back in the early `80s. I was profiling Lauren for Vogue, so I was right up front as a model hit the runway wearing a wool sweater with the American flag sewn into the chest. And Neil Diamond's "America" came on:
  
  Far
  We've been traveling far
  Without a home
  But not without a star
  
  Free
  Only want to be free
  We huddle close
  Hang on to a dream
  
  On the boats and on the planes
  They're coming to America
  Never looking back again
  They're coming to America...
  
  I wept. And I wasn't the only one. Then I recovered. And as Neil Diamond went on to sell 120 million records, I never thought about him.
  
  Except once. I woke from surgery, and his music was playing in the recovery room. "Please," I begged. "Make it stop."
  
  So why do I love Home Before Dark?
  
  Because he's 67. And, finally, his concerns are ones I recognize. Missed opportunities. The knowledge that comes so late. Really knowing what it means to be alone. And then the flip side: Relationships that matter. Second chances. "The power of two." Showing up. Taking responsibility. Being a man.
  
  Corny stuff. As corny, for sure, as the big hits. But Rick Rubin is the producer, who did the Beastie Boys and a lot of rap, and also the very last Johnny Cash CD, which is raw and unadorned. He's done Diamond the same favor --- he surrounded him with A-list musicians, set the dials and stepped back.
  
  And there, in your ears and in your face, is Neil Diamond. He plants his feet wide, slams his guitar and just pours his heart out. Did he live this music? In the oh-so-self-serving liner notes, he says he did. Maybe. But he indisputably wrote these lyrics, and he delivers them --- if he does nothing else, Neil Diamond can sell.
  
  A Neil Diamond CD with an opening song that clocks in at 7+ minutes --- I never expected that. A sizzling 6-minute duet with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks --- I can't remember when a man and woman sang so passionately about miscommunication. To be sure, this CD isn't all winners; there are clinkers like "Even Einstein reclined/designing his theory." But longtime Neil Diamond fans are divided about this CD, and with good reason. Something happened to their beloved hitmaker, and it looks a lot like...life.
  
  Later, no doubt, I'll cringe. Now? Heavy rotation.
  
  
  
• No horse flies here....
  By A23US54A0OILE4 on 2008-05-27
  I've been waiting for this CD to come out for a while. Having been a long time fan of Neil Diamond I was glad to see that he's hanging in there musically. What a master.
  
  Pretty Amazing Grace has to be the prime track on Home Before Dark. However, If I Don't See You Again, Another Day, and the title song Home Before Dark are all strong. Really, truth be told, there isn't a week performance of the CD. It usually takes me a while to fully appreciate new music. I tend to start out pretty luke warm on new performances and then become a stronger advocate as time goes on. With Home Before Dark, I just seemed to enjoy all of the music from the start.
  
  Home Before Dark is in the Neil Diamond tradition. There's nothing not to like here.
  
  Peace to all
  
  

• This Kind of Love
• Nine Lives
• Nothing But The Best
• On My Way Here
• Home Before Dark (Deluxe Edition with DVD)