My goodness! Make someone a mentor on American Idol for a night and suddenly they’re everywhere! The promotion gurus must plan all this to coincide. More bang for the promotional buck, as it were.
Neil Diamond’s new album “Home before Dark” will be released on May 12th. I find that rather significant . . . here he is, a favorite of moms everywhere, and this release coincides nicely with Mother’s Day. Sure, it’s a day late, but you could always make a coupon that says, “Mom, for Mother’s Day, I’m giving you Neil Diamond’s new album.” It would make her day! If she’s a Neil fan, that is . . .
Songs on the album were all written by Neil, and one, “Pretty Amazing Grace,” was performed on American Idol last week when he was mentor to the contestants. Another song on the album, “Another Day,” is a duet with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. When you buy the album, you’ll also receive a DVD with shots of Neil in the recording studio.
Neil Diamond is one of those performers who defines American pop culture. I remember hearing his songs as a young girl—“America,” “Hello, Again, Hello,” “Turn on Your Heart Light,” “Longfellow Serenade,” and “Sweet Caroline” (which he wrote for Caroline Kennedy after seeing her picture) being just a few. Today, when I flip on the radio, he’s still being played, he’s still doing concerts, and he still has an incredible fan base.
His career has spanned over forty years, with his entry into show business in 1962. He wrote a number of songs for other artists, and in the 70s was able to combine his singing with his songs and came up with such hits as “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “I Am . . . I Said,” which was hugely popular despite making no sense. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and has been going strong ever since.
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Neil Diamond: Brooklyn’s Rock Star