• Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Nov 8, 2005
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 42
  2. Negative: 5 out of 42

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  1. WilliamM
    Jan 9, 2006
    5
    My least favorite of a really great collection of Diamond discs
  2. ToddR
    Feb 7, 2006
    5
    Though I loved Rick Rubin's work with Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond's attempt to make a critically-viable, stripped-down album is pretty lame, mostly because these songs are just bland.
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. 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.
  2. 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]
  3. 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]