Two Albums

Welcome back from your Thanksgiving break, hope it was happy and safe for all.

Thanks to the munificence of our dear leader Larry, a copy of the latest Brad Paisley CD turned up in my mail last week. I'd given Brad a go before and it didn't really take. No real criticism from me, he's just far too pleasant. Time Well Wasted is the same. I don't have the heart to knock him but sometimes he needs to colour outside the lines a bit more. I get a bit bored by the niceness. That might say more about me than BP though.

There are some neat things about it though. First, the reason for my noticing Paisley in the first place: William Shatner. He's a hoot and has a little surprise cameo here. Ha.

Second, James Burton! Oddly, he is not featured (I don't think?) on the rather catchy intrumental Time Warp, but as background for Cornography, a slightly bizarre spoof featuring Dolly Parton, George Jones, Bill Anderson and Little Jimmy Dickens. It's old timey radio show, but with more gags about Dolly's tits. A bemusing anarchical spirit I'd like to see young Bradley bring to some of his more earnest ballads.

Thirdly, he and Alan Jackson cover the Darrell Scott/Guy Clark song Out in the Parking Lot (available of Guy's Keepers live album which everyone should have), so I'm glad to see the royalties going in the right direction there.

Next up, Neil Diamond. Yup. The world wobbled slightly on its axis when the announcement that Rick Rubin would produce Neil's new album was made. Not only that, but it was the enigmatic Rubin, god of all things indie and edgy, who outed himself as a long time Diamond fan and made the original offer of collaboration.

I've also had a soft spot for Neil since teenager-hood when I discovered a dusty copy of Hot August Night hidden in a tea chest round the house. I think it was discarded by an uncle, and Gone Too Soon was a philosophical revelation which blew my young mind. Highly amusing to recall that now, but I seriously regard Neil as an important step on the way. Pop music which put the lyrics front and centre. Yeah, sometimes he can get a bit tortured in a reach for profundity but, heck I love a bit of melodrama. OK, I love a lot of melodrama. Also, I just really dig his voice.

So 12 Songs. Basically what you imagine is what you get, unmistakeable Neil songs and the typical rich acoustic production of Rubin. Happily too, its improved on each listen which suggests a depth to the songwriting and sound. It's not the freakshow novelty some have suggested would result from the odd pairing.

The first few songs seem something a bit different for Neil but song 5 Save Me a Saturday Night is quiet lovely ballad which opens with a bass line familar to anyone's whose heard the 60s/70s hits. Oh yeah, Neil Diamond no doubt. Ditto for the start of Delirious Love, which is about, well, sex I think (... checking the lyrics online ... yup, it is). Neil is always especially cheesy on this topic, he tends to creepy euphemism which I guess are supposed to be saucy or something. They're aren't. Still, it's rather rollicking listen and the steel guitar bit is so tasty I can almost blank the "banging on a rocket ride" thing right out. Almost.

The only slightly low point is Evermore which has the kind of overwhelming production that has marred alot of Neil's stuff. The kind of stuff I listen to and think "hmmm, this could be a really good song if you cut the number of instruments involved by about 103." Create Me meanders a bit. But otherwise from the haunting Oh Mary to the jazzy jugband shuffle of We, it's not only a Neil Diamond album I can enjoy myself in secret, it's a Neil Diamond album I would actually recommend to others.

I wonder though if it might split the market, not punk enough for, say, those converted to Cash via American Recordings and not besequined enough for many MOR-lovin' Neil devotees. Sales and reviews have been really strong though, so hooray for the old stager.