Neil Diamond - 12 Songs Review

Whenever someone says the phrase "Sweet Caroline," the immediate gut reaction of almost every person present is to say "doo doo doo." Try it. In a crowded room, just shout out that famous first line: "Sweeeeeeet Caroliiine..." and enjoy the results. It really is a pleasure.

Some hear the classic “Sweet Caroline” and think, "Neil Diamond is a tired hack that doesn’t make real music. He just wears sequined shirts." Most assume he is perpetually destined to be of the set of aging musicians who only record new albums to have more material for their overly-theatrical stage shows (Paul McCartney’s recent “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” is the only thing that saved him from being one of these types of musicians).

Though part of the above description does fit Neil Diamond (sequins were a big part of Neil Diamond's early career, and I can only assume they still might be), he is anything but one of these tired hacks.

Case in point: the newly released album called "12 Songs." It came out last year and, by my accounting, is nearly perfect. From the unassuming first track, "Oh Mary," to the huge crescendo of "Create Me," finishing off with the poppy, fun "We," this album shows Diamond in a light I had not seen him in before: talented and often introspective songwriter.

Sure, simple masterpieces like "Sweet Caroline" and "Solitary Man" have confirmed his status as a mastermind of the pop genre, but "12 Songs" finds Diamond in new territory somewhere closer to singer-songwriter. The production is so simple, so pure, that the songs are essentially forced to stand on their own. That is what lets some of the real gems of this album shine.

One of my personal favorites is the almost haunting beauty of "Face Me." The song is an impassioned cry for a lover to just look you in the eye and be honest. No fancy gestures, no frilly words, just "face me." The plea, like much of the rest of the album, is supported by simple guitar frameworks and a small backing band. Percussion is barely evident throughout most of these tracks, only another detail that makes the songs work as songs, not as full blown theatrical numbers.

As I mentioned earlier, Paul McCartney was also moving ever increasingly into “hack” territory over the years, but his entirely out-of-left-field effort, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” reaffirmed his role as songwriting mastermind. I believe “12 Songs” does the same for Neil Diamond.

This album is all about the songs. Neil Diamond hasn't released a collection of songs like this in what is probably a very long time. I won’t pretend to have been following his career this entire time, but I will say that some of the deeper, more brooding songs on this album still maintain the charm of the light poppy numbers he is famous for, but they are anchored in deeper emotion.

These songs have real emotional impact. And that is what makes this album feel nearly flawless.