Neil Diamond

Here’s the new album by Neil Diamond, his first for Capitol and it’s either his 32^nd studio album or his 400^th or somewhere – anywhere – in between, like it matters…

It’s hard to fault it really, but harder, still, to give any sort of actual shit about it.

It’s another Neil Diamond album. Far better than it might have been, not as good as almost anything that’s Not Neil Diamond. He’s a curious chap – strange product of a bygone era, I really respect him for never ever changing. He’s a little bit country sometimes, tries to be a bit of a rocker. All of his music sounds like it was made anywhere between 1970 and 1982. All of it.

[Insert line about his incredible gift as a great songwriter and mostly-endearing/nearly-enduring singer/songwriter]

And it should, ultimately, stay there. I sorta respect him for keeping on. A hint of brass here, a cowboy line or two there.

The last decade has seen Neil Diamond make a small handful of really quite good albums. I enjoy never listening to them. And this one will join them soon, up there on that shelf in someone else’s house. Neil Diamond fans – believers – rejoice.