Neil Diamond
Melody Road

THE REVIEW

We really have to say it: at seventy-three years old, this man shows he has an inexhaustible source of ideas. Having reached the unusual milestone of his thirtieth studio album, Neil Diamond once again throws himself into the music market with this "Melody Road", which already in the country rock of the title track (the very first notes of the album) sends a clear rhythmic message to the listener: Warning! This is a record from another era!

A time jump of at least forty years, through a series of songs that, like in a poetic and satisfying Amarcord, unfold in thirty-seven, very pleasant minutes of music, over which the author builds his serene, romantic, and (sometimes) poignant reflections. However, this regression has an extraordinary power, which is to engage music enthusiasts unanimously, not just the nostalgic ones who want to relive the mythical seventies.

An exhaustive, fluid, spontaneous album; that unfolds over twelve archaic new tracks, masterfully performed by the enveloping voice of Neil, an aged cowboy of New York's singer-songwriters, who for the occasion improvises as an experimenter of multiple musical expressions, without ever resorting to convoluted compositions but rather preferring the direct formula of the little song, which (as tradition dictates) has always been the indestructible pivot of the singer-songwriting music.

Despite the varied musical nuances, the album is arranged with homogeneous balance. It goes from the folk-rock of "First Time" to the almost ethnic overtones of "Seongah and Jimmy", from the relaxed pop of "Nothing But a Heartache" to the assertive rock of "Alone at the Ball" (when the electric guitars regain a hint of aggressiveness). Among the best stand out "Something Blue" (which directly brings back the times of "Blood on the Tracks" by Dylan) and "The Art of Love" a romantic country ballad, embellished with some symphonic inserts.

Recommended listening on the road!

Federico "Dragonstar" Passarella.