12 Songs
by Neil Diamond
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Nov 8, 2005
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    [The] tension between Rubin's desire to pare it down and Diamond's tendency to amp it up makes for the best musical checks and balances; nothing gets too unplugged or too bombastic. [11 Nov 2005, p.67]
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  2. E! Online
    100
    It's stripped down (and we're not just talking about the jumpsuits), simple and the songwriter's best work in ages.
  3. The Guardian
    100
    Spiritual, lovelorn and vulnerable, this is the album Diamond has deserved for decades.
  5. Blender
    90
    The result is something of a songcraft master class.... A career best. [Dec 2005, p.150]
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  6. Q Magazine
    90
    It may well be his strongest ever collection. [Feb 2006, p.98]
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  7. AllMusic
    80
    But if 12 Songs does occasionally come across as slightly affected in its intent and presentation, it also is inarguably Neil Diamond's best set of songs in a long, long time.
  8. Uncut
    80
    Even with Rubin dialling things back, the material grabs the listener by the collar and holds on tight. [Album of the Month, Feb 2006, p.66]
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  9. No Ripcord
    80
    It’s not that Diamond has recorded a masterpiece, since quite a good portion of this is decidedly B material. It’s that the good stuff represents Neil at his best, exploiting his considerable knack for melody and structure to the fullest.
  10. Dot Music
    80
    For some, the excursions into god-bothering territory ("Create Me", "Man Of God") will be too mawkish, but few could deny that we're now in the full swing of a fascinating new era - a place where rock'n'roll, formerly the preserve of the doomed teenager with nothing to lose, has grown old.
  11. Mojo
    80
    It's not flawless, though it's damn good, and consistently engrossing. [Feb 2006, p.94]
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  12. Slant Magazine
    70
    One of the most indisputably interesting pop albums of the year.
  13. The A.V. Club
    70
    The new album sounds great, but it has its share of filler, and Rubin's narrow vision means he lets some songs lie motionless when they might be improved by old-fashioned sweetening.
  14. Billboard
    60
    While the all-original material is not strong enough to qualify this as the instant classic some have suggested, heartfelt tracks like the jubilant "Delirious Love," the rousing "Hell Yeah" and the string-tinged love song "Evermore" are outstanding. [12 Nov 2005]
  15. New Musical Express (NME)
    50
    Unlike Cash, the ego on display here still sounds like it's got the whip hand on the talent and you never really start to like him. [4 Mar 2006, p.31]
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  16. Pitchfork
    41
    Not all of Diamond's new songs go awry. Most just go away, their melodies dissipating, their lyrics flimsy even through those tremendous pipes.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Best Album of 2005
92
#92 Most Discussed Album of 2005
88
#88 Most Shared Album of 2005

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 42
  3. Negative: 5 out of 42
  1. EricN
    Nov 27, 2006
    10
    a year has passed since I purchased this album,and the music still haunts and moves me.Neil Diamond has tapped into a well of lyrical and a year has passed since I purchased this album,and the music still haunts and moves me.Neil Diamond has tapped into a well of lyrical and musical truths that is rare in these times.All sung with a voice that remains one of a kind.As a 30 something,it speaks volumes that a 65 year old is expressing what I'm feeling better then bands of my generation.The self-doubts of "Hell Yeah" and "What's It Gonna Be".The inner-dreamer and romantic of "Oh Mary","Save Me a Saturday Night" and "Captain of a Shipwreck".The pessimist loner of "Im On To You","Create Me" and "Face Me".The believer-despite-it-all of "Man of God".Just powerful music.The one uptempo rocker, "Delirious Love" stands out from the introspection.But "Delirious Love" is also a three chord guitar gem that goes back to the days when Neil was just a great rocker from Brooklyn.… Full Review »
  2. VB
    Mar 25, 2006
    9
    Diamond's no Johnny Cash of course and if you're looking for something similar forget it. But he's still got that talent as a Diamond's no Johnny Cash of course and if you're looking for something similar forget it. But he's still got that talent as a songwriter he had in the '60s. Once again Rick Rubin has taken a past great who's best years might have been behind them and given them new life and a new avenue for their talents. Is this a great album like Unearthed? No. But it is a very good one by a very good songwriter.… Full Review »
  3. march
    Feb 17, 2006
    9
    Back to the roots and the essence of what is songwriting about: hell yeah! Being a long time Diamond fan but getting more and more Back to the roots and the essence of what is songwriting about: hell yeah! Being a long time Diamond fan but getting more and more disappointed with his work since the Jazz Singer and finally losing him almost, I'm delighted. Some years ago after hearing what Rubin made Cash do a decade ago, I wondered what would come of it when Diamond and Rubin would join together because Diamond deserved it (as well),. And now it's there, what a reinvention of the man, songs stripped down to simple beauty, reminding of his best stuff from the past and at the end for desert Brian Wilson shows up touching 'hilareous love' with that light Beach Boys Mozart kind of joy: a comeback turning in to a party: to be continued I hope.… Full Review »
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