WILD AT HEART Neil Diamond (Universal) *****
This is Neil Diamond’s first album of ‘new’ songs since 2014’s Melody Road. In the early Y2K’s producer Rick Rubin attempted a career resurrection for Diamond as he had done for Johnny Cash. Though Neil failed to reach to the commercial success that The Man In Black did the results are no less worthy. Diamond, having retired in 2018 because of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, did not enter the studio to make a new record. The 10 songs on Wild At Heart are from those early Y2K sessions; stark and elemental, the lyrics romantic and personal.
As much as Neil Diamond’s songs from the 60’s through 80’s can be schlocky, Wild At Heart is the polar opposite. No syrupy string sections or overblown arrangements here; just Neil’s voice, acoustic guitars from Mike Campbell, Smokey Hormel, Matt Sweeney and Neil, plus piano and occasional other keyboards by Benmont Tench- that’s it. As basic as it is there’s a surprising variety amongst these 10 songs. As Sam Richards’ review for riffmagazine.com observes, “there are musicians who burn brightly and then burn out, and others whose light illuminates, not glaringly but satisfyingly, over time. Rarer are artists who have successfully done both… embark(ing) on a lower profile yet rich later career.” I mention that here because that’s exactly how Neil Diamond is for me. I’ve loved his songs since first hearing them on the radio in the 60’s, and buying a new collection of his songs in 2026 is a thrill.
Wild At Heart feels much like 2005’s 12 Songs and 2008’s Home Before Dark which both went gold, though the arrangements here are stripped down to the minimum. Tracks like Your My Favorite Song are jaunty, You Can’t Have It All is melodically similar to Save Me A Saturday Night off of 12 Songs, but the overall subject matter will be familiar to any fan; romance. His warm voice is in excellent form, and I can imagine him thinking about his girl when writing these songs. Leftovers? Maybe. Different from his early hits? Certainly… but a welcome addition to my extensive Neil Diamond collection nonetheless.
HOT TRACKS: You’re My Favorite Song, Wild At Heart, You Still Look Good To Me
COME TO ME Carmen Ratti Band featuring Jill Dineen (MoMojo Records) *****
This is the band’s powerful follow-up to their debut, 2021’s The Road Back. Jill is a powerful blues singer, not unlike Beth Hart, the band is swingin’ and their chemistry evident as they drive this blues and roots influenced material. Produced again by Kid Andersen, this disc is the balls.
“Variety is central to our library” Carmen says. “This record mirrors the roots of blues while incorporating soul, gospel, rock, blues and funk”, and it’s a delicious recipe. From toe-tappers like I Can See to a slow blues like the title track, there is plenty on Come To Me to dig into. Though the band was just formed in 2018, the rich depth of the material feels like a group with twice the mileage. “Carmen and I continue to challenge each other in our songwriting” Jill says. “In the studio the songs just seem to flow. This album carries a lot of heart, and I hope it helps create a bit of connection in the world.” That’s what good blues should do.
This band is hot and I think the other musicians deserve to be mentioned as well; Tony Lufrano on keys and backing vocals, Randy Hayes on drums and groove master Steve Hazelwood on bass. Of course, having top shelf material to sink their teeth into definitely helps. Dineen is a passionate singer and these guys give her the good stuff to work with. That they were signed to MoMojo Records is also a signal that The Carmen Ratti Band is primed and ready for bigger things on the national and international scenes.
In terms of songs, performance and production, I don’t think it’s overselling the case to say Come To Me is pretty much a perfect record. You really need to give this a spin.
HOT TRACKS: Come To Me, About You, Riley
RELEASED Lou Gramm (Rhino/ Stray Notes Music) ****
I thought this was still coming but it came out March 26th. Released is the latest and I’m guessing last solo album from one of the finest, purest voices in rock & roll; if I could anyone to sing like, it would be Lou. This album was built from partial recordings that date back to the late 80’s but completed later so yeah, it sort of sounds like a long lost Foreigner record. Released was produced by Lou along with his son Matthew, preserving the 80’s texture while gently tightening the sonics for today’s music listener. I’m enjoying it a great deal.
Released has the drive of Foreigner’s mid-period stuff but relates more directly to Gramm’s solo releases; 1987’s Ready Or Not and 1989’s Long Hard Look as well as 1991’s Shadow King, a short-lived supergroup that also included Vivian Campbell (Dio, Def Leppard) drummer Kevin Valentine (he played on Kiss’s Psycho Circus) and bassist Bruce Turgon. Of course it would as the unfinished tracks came from the sessions for those records. The review on crypticrock.com gets right to the heart of it in saying it has “the dual identity from the stroke of the first note; it is both a lost album from Gramm’s creative peak and a reflective late career statement… these songs deserved to be heard all along.”
It’s a shame that Lou’s solo stuff didn’t enjoy the success of his old band, and Released has the kind of muscle and melody that argues it should have. I have the albums mentioned in the last paragraph but it’s been quite a while since I’ve put them on- so of course it’s time to change that. Young Love sounds like it could’ve been a hit, Walk The Walk has a dirty, swaggering groove, and True Blue Love has been re-cast as a sparse piano driven ballad. Not every singer/ front man deserves righteous solo success when they leave the band that made them famous, but by God if anybody has earned that it’s Lou Gramm. Released has been a VERY pleasant surprise.
HOT TRACKS: Walk The Walk, Lightning Strikes, Long Hard Look
TRACES OF THE FLOOD Steve Louw (independent) ****
This marks the 4th solo album in 5 years for this South African singer/ songwriter. It is a sly mix of rock, country, blues and Americana that depends on the energy of the band playing together live in the room. Steve Louw has plenty to say, and he’s saying it very well.
If you’re wondering where Louw comes from musically, he had a band in the early 80’s called All Night Radio. Then in the 90’s he formed the band Big Sky that enjoyed some radio hits. Traces Of The Flood was produced by longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley (Joe Bonamassa, Black Country Communion, Beth Hart, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Rush to name a very few), so Louw is in spectacular hands. With rock credentials like that (did I mention Dream Theater and Iron Maiden too?) some of the laid back, rootsy numbers like Echo Dream come as a bit of a surprise, but that’s the joy of the album; around the corner there’s always something new.
Unlike some producers (Dave Stewart, Andy Sneap) Shirley doesn’t have his own sound, he’s a music guy that delights in bringing out the best of whichever artist he is working with. Some of the songs in Traces lean toward an Americana vibe, coming across like Murray McLachlan meets The Black Crowes, but they like to rock it up on cuts like CBGB Xmas. This disc isn’t as schizophrenic as I might be making it out to be… despite the diversity of the material it all feels very connected. A sparse acoustic number like Light Of Day (Woody’s Blues) is a nice respite when you feel like catching your breath or maybe mellowing out just a tad.
For an artist that’s been creating for as long as Steve Louw has you might expect him to be coasting a bit at this point, but this album shows no signs of that sort of fatigue. It’s no wonder he’s considered one of South Africa’s most enduring songwriters; this far into his career it feels like he’s just getting warmed up.
HOT TRACKS: Across The River, Echo Dream, CBGB Xmas
