Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 77
 Is Deluxe Edition worth the extra money? May 6, 2008
AH-1Z (Sacramento, CA USA)
5 out of 14 found this review helpful
Listening to the clips of the songs (clips available if you go to the page for the standard edition on Amazon), it's clear that this is another great album. But, is it worth 67% extra for only two more songs and four videos, one of which is for something that doesn't even appear on either edition of the CD?
 Pretty Amazing May 7, 2008
the drifter (minneapolis)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Nei is much more relaxed this time around with Rick Rubin as producer. The DVD is an absolute must and shows an inside look at a usually very private performer. The length of the songs is a bit of a distraction but the lyrics dig deeper than your usual radio pap.
 DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH! May 8, 2008
Christopher Gazzo (Long Island, NY)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
The deluxe edition contains two bonus songs and a DVD of four videos. Is it worth it for the extra money? In my opinion, the DVD is interesting but not something you will be watching more than once or twice. The two extra songs are good, but the heart of the recording lies in those first 12 tracks ending in "Home Before Dark", a fitting closure to this great release.
 Disappointed, again May 14, 2008
dodgyshamrock (Bangor, Maine)
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
I'm a die-hard Neil Diamond fan. It took me awhile to figure out why I didn't like his last album, but it is this: I like Neil's music because it makes me feel good. It is upbeat, it is catchy, it's optimistic. I liked the strings, the horns, the drums. This album and the last one are just downright depressing. I can understand Rick Rubin wanting to get Neil back to the craft of songwriting, and leaving out the over-production, but geesh could we at least have a little percussion?! And what happened to the upbeat, catchy songs? Even Neil's slower ones like Captain Sunshine (one of my personal favorites) were more upbeat than these. Where is the old Neil? I miss him.
Fantastic Album, But... May 20, 2008
Andrew Salmon (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I loved this album. I'd have given it 5 stars if not for one problem I had with the DVD. But before I get to that, I want to state for the record (no pun intended) how good this album is. If you loved 12 SONGS, you'll love this one, too. It's that simple. They are done in the same style and Diamond's catchy melodies really work with the expanded band used for this recording. It's pure Diamond. Any Neil Diamond fan knows what I'm talking about. I purchased the version with the bonus tracks and the DVD. As for the bonus tracks the Dylan cover is great the other cover not so much. I don't know if this is due to the fact that both of he bonus tracks are not Diamond compositions so they don't quite gel or what. The Dylan one is very good the other just seems a bit out of place. Perhaps further listenings will correct this.
As for the DVD, it should be great! You get a couple of live performances and a couple of studio performances. My knock against it is that, after the first tune, you can't hear ANY vocals. They are either mixed down to a whisper or were poorly recorded in the first place. On the last tune, The Boxer, they are just gone. You can't hear a word. I thought perhaps my DVD is defective in some way. Has anyone else encountered this problem.
But if you're a Diamond fan and have your eye on the single CD version of the album, then I can't recommend it highly enough. Just be wary of the DVD. It's an exercise in frustration. There's Neil singing his heart out and you can't hear a word!
However the album is one of the best I've heard this year.
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