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Tower Records - Pulse Magazine
http://pulse.towerrecords.com/contentStory.asp?contentId=604
Pulse! Magazine - TowerRecords.com
NEIL DIAMOND
Three Chord Opera ( Columbia )
Laugh if you want, but it's time to give Neil Diamond respect. Young
hipsters finally gave belated props to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett,
after they spent years being unfashionable, and even Wayne Newton is being
taken seriously. People, it's time. Why not Neil?
In an industry known for short careers, Diamond's in his fifth decade of
music making. He has his share of classics, and he's still standing. He has
such an incredible energy and passion for what he's doing and saying, it's
infectious. You can't be in a bad mood while listening to Neil Diamond.
(It'd be like listening to Sly & the Fam and not wanting to get your groove
on.) He goes along well with eclectic music tastes; his sound can vary from
waltz to rock to country to jazz to big band.
My introduction to Neil Diamond came when I fell in love with The Jazz
Singer when I was 8 years old. Sure, I knew him casually before then. I
mean, I didn't "know him," know him, but I knew my heart wouldn't stop
pounding and my feet wouldn't stop moving each time I heard "Sweet
Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie" or "I'm a Believer" (even when performed by
the Monkees). Every time a new Neil Diamond album hits the shelves I pray
that it won't be the one that breaks the magical spell that has held me
captive for more than 20 years.
>From the very first note it is clear that Three Chord Opera is classic Neil
Diamond. The album feels like home, a good one filled with your closest
friends and not the one with the dysfunctional family members and crazy
Aunt Margret who still insists on pinching your cheeks. The album starts
with the heartfelt and sentimental "I Haven't Played This Song In Years."
It is at once familiar and new, if not a bit adult contemporary. The album
is full of bright moments like "I Believe in Happy Endings" and "Mission of
Love." "Happy Endings," with its tender beginnings rising into crescendo
and lyrical praises to music ("Sad songs bring me right down with the
blues, glad songs take me wherever I choose"), comes off as a cross between
earlier work like "Song Sung Blue" and "Hello Again." "Mission of Love"
works itself into a frenzy the likes of which might be seen at a religious
revival or high school pep rally with its cheers and chants of "da duh dah
dah" and "Give me an L/ Sing me an O . . ."
The only low point on the album is "At the Movies." It seems more like a
prelude to dancing popcorn and sodas skipping across the screen than it
does a viable song on what is otherwise a strong album. It has more
exuberance than the topic realistically should have produced and seems like
a brown-nosing attempt to suck up to the Hollywood machine.
Overall, the album has a contagious energy that is Diamond's trademark. The
energy sparks something deep inside resembling joy but bordering on
rapture. It goes beyond the lyrics; it bubbles up from deep within the
music and carries you away. He says he understands, and I believe him. It's
obvious that the songs come purely from the heart.
The album is energetic and uplifting and should make for an unbelievably
amazing stage show. Live, he shows more stamina than younger musicians and
more vibrancy and soul than performers his own age. With the familiar
blending of various styles, Three Chord Opera shows once again that Neil
Diamond is the most consistent man in show business.
By Brandy Gibson