Neil Diamond Melody Road Album (Review)
(Note to readers: I participated in the Neil Diamond Melody Road album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own. #MelodyRoad and #O2O)
Everybody else may think of the songs America or Sweet Caroline when they hear Neil Diamond’s name, but for me, he’s the guy who put my name in a song, Desiree, so I expect I’ll always want to hear his music, including any new releases, such as Melody Road.
The Melody Road album doesn’t disappoint. They are classic Neil Diamond sounds and lyrics…hurt, yet hopeful, calming music that leaves you wanting to cuddle up and hug the one you love.
My favorite on this new release is Nothing But a Heartache:
One verse that grabbed me:
“Was a one-way conversation
I never got the invitation
The sharpness of her words deceiving
And I couldn’t stop the bleeding…”
Then the hope that you know is coming:
“You found me drifting in a small boat
In the middle of an ocean
You were there on my horizon
And I didn’t have a notion.
Unprepared to comprehend it
Felt alone and unattended
Said my prayers and reached my hand out
And you appeared to me that day
Came and led me to a new shore
I had never been there before
Put me in the right direction
And you led me out of hell.”
There are other songs on the album that I really enjoyed, including Melody Road.
Neil Diamond is in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s one of the world’s best selling artists with more than 125 million albums sold to date!
I believe this latest album will only bump him up in those ranks.
You can order it by clicking the links below.
* iTunes: http://bit.ly/NDMelody
* Amazon: http://bit.ly/MelodyRdND
December 11, 2014 @ 10:43 am
The album is a compilation of many other songs, both lyrics and melody. I am a Neil Diamond fan and actually sing ‘Play Me’ and ‘I Am…I Said’ at karaoke bars, to standing ovations. The tracks are disappointing. ‘Nothing But a Heartache’ reminded me of ‘It’s a Heartache’ by Bonnie Tyler. Neil’s voice is still great at 73, but the songs are dull. Perhaps, the last track ‘The Art of Love’ is the best, but none stand out. I can see him in Milwaukee (closest concert venue), but I won’t pay $500 for a good seat. The best things I can say about ‘Melody Road’ is that the CD design is super as is the sound quality, but that’s due to modern graphics and electronics. I used Sony headphones and an old, but outstanding Audiovox CD hand-held, to listen and the sound quality is better than my Sony surround-sound. But, sound quality is not the issue. The album just doesn’t cut it. I’ll give it another try, but if I feel the same, I’ll return it to the library. It was never previously checked out, so the CD is clean, but that’s immaterial.