One of my favorite Christmas presents was the new Neil Diamond CD from one of my daughters. I've been a fan of Neil's (I've been to enough concerts to call him by his first name) since his first album came out when I was in high school. Back then he seemed soulful and a bit mysterious, like the nice looking bad boy who's parents owned a music store down the street.
Neil saw me through some long days when I was at home alone in a strange new town with my first baby. My husband worked long hours and I listened to Holly Holy over and over for a couple of months while we saved up for that first black and whilte tv set.
The Johnathan Livingston Seagull alblum contains some of my favorite music. The movie was pretty awful but the words and music on that album did just as the composer intended; It made me feel like I was soaring. I loved the African rhythms on Tap Root Manuscript and the lovely "Ladio" on the Beautiful Noise album
I took exception when Neil, whom I knew to be Jewish, recorded a Christmas album in the nineties. It seemed a slightly desperate attempt to keep his career alive, and let's face it folks, the man ain't no Johnny Mathis.
His new album, Twelve Songs, is his best in a long time. It's just Neil and an acousitc guitar. Twelve songs that coulnd't have been written by someone in his twenties. Songs of Experience. (Forgive me Mr. Blake) I like "Hell, yea" and "I'm onto you," best but there's not a klunker on the CD.
Who would have thought back in 1966 that the young guy from New York would still be turning out great music forty years later?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Neil was never just for fat old people. Viva La Neil!
Post a Comment