Uber-producer and patron saint of forgotten artists Rick Rubin has turned his attention to a legend more in need of saving than his previous pet project, Johnny Cash, ever was - Neil Diamond. Trapped within the majestic flourish and spangly shirts of his 1970s' heyday, Diamond's talent for making songs that can break your heart or make you punch the air in glee has been lost through unfashionable familiarity.

But with 12 Songs - there are actually 14 - he's turned from flat-out performer to subtle songwriter. Stripped of kitsch, he sighs and gently roars to the sound of his own acoustic guitar. Few can put more feeling into a word than Diamond, but he's more poignant than ever on the easy folk of Oh Mary and tear- sodden goodbye of Evermore. We sounds like a great lost Monkees song. Spiritual, lovelorn and vulnerable, this is the album Diamond has deserved for decades.