A Polished Diamond
By Reviewed by Marc Lourdes
NEIL DIAMOND
Home Before Dark
Sony/BMG
FOR a long time, I placed Neil Diamond firmly in the category of “old dudes whom only my dad listens to”. After all, Diamond didn’t have a hope in hell of ever getting into the same class of “cool” which the Beatles, CCR or the Rolling Stones belonged to.
All that changed when I listened to I Am… I Said. I was dazzled by Diamond’s brilliance (cliched, I know) and developed a new sense of respect for the man.
It was a shock to hear that sandy-voiced musician had never had a No. 1 album before, despite producing tunes as lovely as Song, Sung Blue, Sweet Caroline and Red, Red Wine.
Well, that’s an unwanted tag Diamond can happily shed now. Home Before Dark hit the chart with a bang and went straight to the top.
The Diamond-Rick Rubin collaboration strangely reminded me of Johnny Cash’s last album, American V: A Hundred Highways.
Diamond sounds, for the most part, weathered and world-weary, and all the more charming for it. His voice, which always had appealingly rough edges, is even better with time.
But what’s most evident is that he has not lost the knack of writing simple, yet poignant lyrics. He can take themes squeaked off by boybands and turn them into moving and luminous songs.
Basically, I’d say that age has polished Diamond even more (another cliche, I know). Yet, the paradox about Diamond’s polish is that he is able to sound more real, vulnerable and emotional than most other performers in today’s ultra-polished music scene.
Selected tracks: Pretty Amazing Grace, Another Day (That Time Forgot), One More Bite of the Apple
Rating: ****
LOVELY MEMORIES
Various Artistes
EQ Music
THE last EQ Music compilation I listened to was a truly horrendous compilation of `80s music played on a piano and I was, to put it mildly, a tad reluctant to even approach this compilation with a 10-foot pole.
Well, the end result is kind of a good news-bad news thing.
The bad news is that once again it was very disheartening to see how shoddy the work on the packaging was.
For example, while the jacket numbers the CDs in a sequence of one through four, the CDs themselves are labelled in two sets of two.
Another source of irritation was that Come Softly To Me was labelled as being performed by Fleetwood. Not being familiar with the song, I had to go online to find out that it was not Fleetwood Mac, but a 1950s outfit called The Fleetwoods.
Snowbird, by Lynn Anderson is included twice in the set. Guys, it’s not THAT great a song, okay!
So, what’s the good news then?
The songs themselves are pretty decent. As the title suggests, it is basically a collection of easygoing sentimental songs.
While there is the standard fare from the likes of Air Supply, Spandau Ballet, Timmy Thomas, Aaron Neville and Bonnie Tyler, there are also more interesting and less exposed additions like John Travolta’s Sandy (from Grease), Ralph Mitchell’s Streets of London and even The Fleetwoods’ Come Softly To Me.
Selected tracks: Toy Soldiers (Martika) , I Say A Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick), The Search is Over (Survivor)
Performance: ** 1/2
SHANNON NOLL
Turn It Up
Sony/BMG
REMEMBER Guy Sebastian? If you don’t, he was the 2003 Australian Idol winner and we got all hot and bothered about him because he was born here.
Shannon Noll is the guy Sebastian beat in the finals.
Noll, whose post-Idol career includes two impressive multi- platinum albums, brought on board some heavy-hitters from rock outfit Bon Jovi to help him out on Turn It Up.
Grammy-nominated Luke Ebbin, famed for producing some great Bon Jovi albums, got drafted into production duty while lead guitarist Richie Sambora helped out in penning some lines as well as chucking in a few guitar riffs here and there.
The result, as expected, is a tight and professional production that marries what could be Noll’s pop leanings to the Bon Jovi duo’s slightly more muscular style of rock instrumentation.
The best tune is easily Loud – the first single.
Energetic and upbeat, it makes you want to get off your chair and get your bootie moving.
In Pieces is another impressive track and Noll’s impressive wailing rock star seems to indicate that he might not do so badly as a rocker.
One thing though. The sideburns, aviator shades and Joe Jambul hairstyle he sports on the album jacket just have to go. It makes him look more like a Vegas Elvis impersonator than a serious musician.
Selected tracks: Loud, In Pieces, Sorry Is Just Too Late
Performance: ***
CLAI AIKEN
On My Way Here
Sony/BMG
IF you watched this fellow on the second season of American Idol, then you should have a pretty good idea of what he’s about.
He’s the quintessential American Idol pretty boy, complete with bubble-gum ballads and radio friendly pop numbers.
You don’t get much in the way of innovation, creativity, exceptional talent, fascinating music or memorable lyrics.
What you do get is a safe, forgettable and pretty decent album which, if you don’t set your sights too high, you might even be satisfied with.
The high points are few and far between, but on the plus side is the fact that there aren’t any songs that will make you run for cover either.
Selected tracks: Something About Us, On My Way Here
Performance: ** 1/2
(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.