Neil Diamond

Three years ago, with the release of "12 Songs," Neil Diamond reminded the world that under all the sequins he is a serious and often striking folk-rock songwriter. Producer Rick Rubin was the mastermind behind 2005's stripped-down acoustic gem, and the pair has reunited for Diamond's new album, "Home Before Dark. " This year's model is not quite as stark or stirring as its predecessor; the emphatic melodic thrusts and vocal bravado of "Whose Hands Are These" and "No Words" will resonate with fans of Diamond's adult-contemporary glory.

Neil Diamond has been a hit maker for more than four decades, but the 70-year-old singer-songwriter says that when he's alone in his studio, he sometimes wonders who will hear his music. The answer, of course, is almost everyone, as evidenced by a stellar year that saw the "Sweet Caroline" singer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, become a Kennedy Center Honoree, earn his 13th Grammy nod and release a career-spanning collection of greatest hits. "The Very Best of Neil Diamond," featuring 23 songs, was released last week, just after he returned from the Kennedy...

Neil Diamond has been a hit maker for more than four decades, but the 70-year-old singer-songwriter says that when he's alone in his studio, he sometimes wonders who will hear his music. The answer, of course, is almost everyone, as evidenced by a stellar year that saw the "Sweet Caroline" singer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, become a Kennedy Center Honoree, earn his 13th Grammy nod and release a career-spanning collection of greatest hits. "The Very Best of Neil Diamond," featuring 23 songs, was released last week, just after he returned from the Kennedy...

During this year's Kennedy Center Honors, which were taped on Sunday and will air on CBS on Dec. 27, Smokey Robinson paid tribute to one of the night's honorees, Neil Diamond , by singing his hit "Sweet Caroline. " During the performance, Robinson was suddenly joined by a throng of Red Sox fans who just happened to be in the house in their fan gear, and by Caroline Kennedy , the song's namesake. Apparently, it was Claire Durant in Tom Werner 's office who coordinated the Sox surprise during the ceremony.

During this year's Kennedy Center Honors, which were taped on Sunday and will air on CBS on Dec. 27, Smokey Robinson paid tribute to one of the night's honorees, Neil Diamond , by singing his hit "Sweet Caroline. " During the performance, Robinson was suddenly joined by a throng of Red Sox fans who just happened to be in the house in their fan gear, and by Caroline Kennedy , the song's namesake. Apparently, it was Claire Durant in Tom Werner 's office who coordinated the Sox surprise during the ceremony.

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond is to perform on South Dakota's float in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Diamond is known for his songs that have become anthems at ballparks and bars. The Grammy award winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and is among the artists to be honored next month at the Kennedy Center Honors. The South Dakota Department of Tourism's "Mount Rushmore's American Pride" float will feature Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest...

Neil Diamond, the old-fashioned showman, and Neil Diamond, the contemplative songwriter, teamed up over the weekend at Fenway Park for a concert that split the difference between the two. Backed by his longtime band - a 15-piece behemoth brimming with horns and harmony singers, congas and keyboards - Diamond's concert was brassy, schmaltzy, and dated. It was also searching and rootsy and deep, and while the juxtapositions were sometimes striking, Diamond sold the whole package with a sense of real purpose and palpable joy. Heart-sinking squareness ("Song Sung Blue")

LAS VEGAS — Don Kirshner, a rock promoter and music publisher who helped garner hits for the make-believe groups The Monkees and The Archies and boosted the careers of Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, and the Police, died Monday at the age of 76. Promoter Jack Wishna told the Associated Press yesterday that Mr. Kirshner had been in a hospital in Boca Raton being treated for an infection. “Donny Kirshner would take a kid off the street, bring him up to his office in the Brill Building, and turn him into Neil Diamond, Carole King, James Taylor, on and...

Rick Rubin did it for Neil Diamond. Jack White did it for Loretta Lynn. And now producer Ethan Johns hopes to get people to take notice of Tom Jones in a new-yet-old way in the autumn of the Welsh belter’s career. There is nothing cheeky or winking about this dark and sometimes gripping collection of gospel/spiritual songs. Instead it’s a full bore, strip-to-the-skeleton work from a historic artist dropping all artifice and digging into music he loves. While hints of ham and cheese pop up on occasion, Jones plays it straight.

Roots Ponk Media ESSENTIAL "Sweet Evelina" Arkansas rockabilly giant Sleepy LaBeef has been barnstorming for six decades, including a show with Elvis Presley, but he takes a welcome side trip on this new disc. Rather than heat up the dance floor, he plays stripped-down, acoustic songs, evoking Rick Rubin's work with Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond. The results are dazzling and showcase his voice, which has widened in scope since he gave up a three-pack-a-day habit some years ago. LaBeef opens on a too-facile note with Leadbelly's "Cotton Fields," but hits his stride on obscure gems ranging from traditional...

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond is to perform on South Dakota's float in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Diamond is known for his songs that have become anthems at ballparks and bars. The Grammy award winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and is among the artists to be honored next month at the Kennedy Center Honors. The South Dakota Department of Tourism's "Mount Rushmore's American Pride" float will feature Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest and Badlands National Park in an effort to drive more...

ASHLAND - They show up every Thursday night. Religiously. Not too strong a word in this instance. It is the church of karaoke, and it has become a big part of their lives, this act of clutching a microphone and launching into a song while a barroom audience of mostly strangers stares at you. Barbara Seeley, 44, has been giving karaoke everything she's got for 20 years. "It's where you get five minutes of fame instead of 15," she said. Seeley recently moved from Stow to Malden to be closer to work.

LAS VEGAS — Don Kirshner, a rock promoter and music publisher who helped garner hits for the make-believe groups The Monkees and The Archies and boosted the careers of Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, and the Police, died Monday at the age of 76. Promoter Jack Wishna told the Associated Press yesterday that Mr. Kirshner had been in a hospital in Boca Raton being treated for an infection. “Donny Kirshner would take a kid off the street, bring him up to his office in the Brill Building, and turn him into Neil Diamond, Carole King, James...

Unlike many artists of his generation, Neil Diamond still pumps out original music; witness his fine singer-songwriter records with producer Rick Rubin in recent years. So Diamond can be excused an occasional covers album, especially when it is as strong as his new “Dreams,’’ in which he smoothly interprets some of his favorite tracks from the rock era. Don’t expect any AC/DC or Van Halen, but instead revel in Diamond’s casually resonant baritone as he breathes new life into tunes by the Beatles, Randy Newman, the Everly Brothers, and others who have deeply affected him....

Rick Rubin did it for Neil Diamond. Jack White did it for Loretta Lynn. And now producer Ethan Johns hopes to get people to take notice of Tom Jones in a new-yet-old way in the autumn of the Welsh belter’s career. There is nothing cheeky or winking about this dark and sometimes gripping collection of gospel/spiritual songs. Instead it’s a full bore, strip-to-the-skeleton work from a historic artist dropping all artifice and digging into music he loves. While hints of ham and cheese pop up on occasion, Jones plays it straight.

NEW YORK - Ellie Greenwich - who co-wrote some of pop music’s most enduring songs, including “Chapel of Love,’’ “Be My Baby,’’ and “Leader of the Pack’’ - died yesterday, according to her niece. She was 68. Ms. Greenwich died of a heart attack at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, where she had been admitted a few days earlier for treatment of pneumonia, according to her niece, Jessica Weiner. Ms. Greenwich, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, was considered one of the most successful songwriters in popular music.

It's been four years since Neil Diamond put out an album, and nearly 30 since he made a good one. For those who haven't caught wind of the pre-release buzz, the new record's title, "12 Songs," perfectly crystallizes the stripped-down pleasures of this collection, which was masterminded by Rick Rubin, the producer responsible for Johnny Cash's late-career "American Recordings" series. Rubin works similar magic with Diamond -- whose early years as a pop-rock songwriter and recording artist have been obscured by three decades of sequins, saccharine, and melodrama.

It was a perfect picture of July 4 on the Esplanade last night: an almost full moon hanging brightly in a nearly cloudless sky, a half-million patriotically festooned revelers parked in front of the Hatch Shell, and Keith Lockhart leading the Boston Pops in commemoration of Russia’s victory over Napoleon. At least, that’s why Tchaikovsky wrote the “1812 Overture.’’ It’s come to mean something different to Americans, who have adopted it as one of their own. But that fit in perfectly with the Pops’ proclivity for finding new ways to use preexisting...