Light and Shadow

Review Score: (8/10)
The album cover photo reflects the quality of this album: a lot of light, but also some shadows (ND looks very strange on this shot, by the way). There are some outstanding tracks on this 1991 effort like "If There Were No Dreams" (anybody else who thinks that the opening guitar licks sound very much like "I Am, I Said"?) and "One Hand, One Heart", a Bernstein cover tune. "Common Ground", the closing track, is one of my personal favorites because it gives a lot of credit to the band and also sounds very much like Diamond in the Early/Mid 70's. Fillers like "Lonely Lady # 17" are terribly sub-standard, though, and should have better been left in the vaults.

In getting this 15-track and 60-minutes-plus studio album together, Diamond employed a lot of different producers, including the likes of Peter Asher and Albert Hammond. Roughly half of the tracks were produced by the man himself. This gives "Lovescape" both a fresh attitude and also some confusion, as the mix of country-flavored tunes, Diamond-style ballads and forgettable Easy Listening selections may be hard to swallow for the casual listener.

More Reviews:

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• Awful!!!!
• "Lovescape" sparkles
• At his best
• Music to fall in love to/with.