Another Rick Rubin production flatters Diamond
'Home Before Dark' (Columbia)
Neil Diamond
3.5 stars
While producer Rick Rubin coaxed some fine songs out of Neil Diamond on their first collaboration, 2005's "12 Songs," you could feel the fear of a singer told to stand alone with his guitar in front of a recording microphone for the first time in many years.
With the new "Home Before Dark," Diamond sounds much more comfortable.
That's mostly good.
In fact, we'll defy any singer-songwriter this year to come up with a run of four stronger songs than the ones that open this album. Bookended by the epic "If I Don't See You Again" and the Natalie Maines duet "Another Day (That Time Forgot)," each song is assured and insightful. Years of crusted bangles and beads prevent many people from taking Diamond seriously as a songwriter. That's a mistake.
Diamond's acoustic guitar is the centerpiece of a band that includes Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and plays with stately elegance.
Some bombast returns with the confidence. "One More Bite of the Apple" is an overused metaphor that Diamond should have known to avoid.
He hasn't quite reached the level of artistry that Johnny Cash did with Rubin, but "Home Before Dark" continues to solidify Diamond's reputation.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Cherry Cherry." No, we're kidding. "Pretty Amazing Grace" soars, a love story for a second or third act in life. — David Bauder, AP
David's album not your average — 'Trust Me'
'Trust Me' (Warner Bros.)
Craig David
2.5 stars
"Trust Me" isn't just the title of British artist Craig David's fourth studio album. The two-word combination might best serve as instructions for listening to the disc.
The 26-year-old, who made a splash in the United States with his 2001 platinum debut "Born to Do It" but then fell off the radar here, exudes soul. His voice is sweet and sincere on the delicate, slow-moving track "Awkward," with its earthy mix of guitar and organ.
But creatively, David isn't so easily labeled. Perhaps it's because he escapes the usual boundaries of those in his musical genre — going full-throttle with sounds some artists only dabble in.
The tempo, the drums and the electrifying horns on "6 of 1 Thing" and "Don't Play with Our Love" boast Cuban influence. The lead single "Hot Stuff (Let's Dance)" starts with a '50s-era drumbeat and continues with a sound culled from the days of disco.
There are tracks, such as the folksy "Top of the Hill," that might seem out of character, but the guy sounds good, nevertheless. For those who choose to follow David's directions, "Trust Me" is easy to enjoy, even if the selection of tracks doesn't mesh seamlessly together.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: David comes off super smooth on the reggae-driven "She's on Fire," and even shows off some exciting rhyming skills. — Melanie Sims, AP
