Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 77
 How many ways do you spell D-I-A-M-O-N-D May 9, 2008
Linda (South Florida)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
How about brilliant, sparkling, multi-faceted, clarity, pure and flawless. 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.
 NOT the Neil Diamond sound of the 60's and 70's. May 10, 2008
dolphindave (Claremont)
3 out of 9 found this review helpful
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 Not in the Rough with Rubin by His Side for a Second Collaboration May 15, 2008
Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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 fourteen 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.
On the Deluxe Edition, two bonus tracks have been included - first, a percussive arrangement of Harry Nilsson's "Without Her", which sounds like an outtake from a 1970's-era recording session as it glides over an abundance of lyrics; and Bob Dylan's melancholy "Make You Feel My Love". Even though Diamond can be a charismatic performer, the accompanying DVD is a decidedly low-key affair. He performs "Pretty Amazing Grace" and "If I Don't See You Again" seated in a dimly lit studio. This is followed by black-and-white footage of Diamond in the recording studio performing "Forgotten" and a rather hurried version of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer".
 I'm so angry at Neil Diamond for wasting my money... May 21, 2008
E. Pahon (Baltimore, MD)
3 out of 11 found this review helpful
I bought Home Before Dark in anticipation of another great album from one of the greatest artists of all time. What I got was a badly-mixed piece of trash that I could've recorded in my living room. The songs are droll and slow and the lyrics are so simplistic I'm surprised the credits don't list a 5th grader as the primary writer. What was Neil thinking? It sounds like this album was recorded in the '40's on bad equipment. I actually threw the album out my window.
I love the CD and What a bonus to have the DVD May 9, 2008
R. Levine (Missouri)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I love HBD. The songs are great. The duet with Natalie is just awesome! It is just wonderful. I just can't get Pretty Amazong Grace out of my head. I just love Whose Hands are These. I really love them all. Great music Neil! I love it!
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