NEIL DIAMOND
Wild At Heart (Capitol/UMUSIC)
Wild At Heart is the final part of an album trilogy which draws on sessions from 2007 made by Neil Diamond with producer Rick Rubin. Under the latter’s guidance, Wild At Heart’s predecessors – 12 Songs and Home Before Dark – found Diamond stripping songs back, amplifying their emotional core, and returning to the creative roots that birthed Moods, his highly-rated 1972 album.
The presence of Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench – both erstwhile members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers – backing Diamond on this latest volume in no way interferes with a broadly minimalist, overall successful approach. Shelve any fears of this album gathering offcuts best hidden from public consumption: from Wild At Heart’s title track to You Can’t Have It All, these songs of devotion and resilience are prime Neil Diamond from start to finish.
words DAVID NOBAKHT
