Charlotte

For more than 40 years, Neil Diamond has been a fixture on the world's music scene. He's had countless hits and hit records, been the butt of jokes and created numerous sing-a-longs that are heard just about everywhere -- "Sweet Caroline" among them.

Surprisingly, it was his 2005 album, 12 Songs, that brought him back up toward the top of the charts and his 2008 release, Home Before Dark, that scored him the first number-one album of his career. Many give credit for that achievement to uber-producer Rick Rubin who got Diamond to strip away all the glitz and glam and go the way of James Taylor. Diamond has recently stated that he'll work with Rubin on his next album, but that it will probably different from the last two.

"I wasn't aware that we were trying to distill the essence of my music when we first started recording this stuff," Diamond says during a recent conference call with journalists. "Rick may have wanted to hearken back to simpler days of my career -- he was shooting to capture that in the sessions. Basically, we were going in to kind of find out what these songs would sound like and what they would feel like in a studio setting with a couple of additional musicians aside from myself."

Diamond says Rubin never discussed any intentions in those first sessions and acted more as a casual observer to what the band would do in the studio space. Diamond says he went into the studio simply to "create something wonderful, something magical."

The Deal: Teen country sensation releases sophomore album, follow up to triple-platinum self-titled debut, one month before her 19th birthday.

The Good: First off, credit has to be given to the fact Swift wrote or co-wrote all the tunes on her album. The album's tone sticks to the pop side of the country road. She's got a solid voice with strength at the right times and enough of a breezy tilt when needed. The album gives Swift a second building block in a strong foundation that is sure to lead to a lengthy career. Cliches are never good, but I'm sure the best is yet to come from the young singer. Part of Swift's appeal is that she teeters on the country fence - "White Horse" would do well on just about any pop station that plays ballads. Other songs use violins or other instrumentation to give it more of a country than pop feel, but it's definitely a fine line - see "You Belong With Me" and "Change."

A story at Billboard.com states that rockers Creed are planning a reunion tour in 2009. The band last performed in 2004 before singer Scott Stapp went on to a solo career that fizzled out quickly and the other guys formed Alter Bridge that had limited success.

I guess they got tired of singing the song of a career that goes nowhere and will get back together. The band sold 26.1 million albums -- though I'd debate that most of their songs sounded the same.

The Deal: Charlotte rockers release The Ruthless Workings of Nature, follow-up to 2001's Laguna Negra.

The Good: The band has survived a handful of lineup changes - currently singer Leahanne Woods-Smith, guitarist Andy Cauble, drummer Thomas Whitley, guitarist Rob Tavaglione and bassist Asher Griffis - since it first formed in 2001. There's a raw edge here - nothing should be polished in metal, anyway. The higher tone of Woods-Smith's vocals make an interesting dichotomy against the distorted riffs of music. While the disc gets off to a rough start, "Escape Through Dreamholes," is a fine reprieve that sets off the rest of the album - changing speeds, varying vocals, solid songwriting. "Caught In" was another highlight. Woods-Smith showcases her vocal talent on "Ella Es La Voz De La Diosa" and on the slowed down "Spotted Scattered Existence."

The Deal: "Reigning King of Afrobeat," son of Fela, releases first studio album in seven years.

The Good: Afro-beat's closest sonic relative may be reggae, but on Kuti's latest release, he does what he can to infuse a jazz influence and bring the music to its Nigerian roots. His 17-piece band may be in full-force, but Kuti spent some of his time off from recording learning to play piano and reintroducing himself to the trumpet. Themes of peace flow throughout the disc's 12 tracks. The album is definitely music with a message, but the influence is as much on the music. There's plenty of instrumentation on the seven-and-a-half minute "Demo Crazy." A mostly instrumental track, "Do You Know," calls out a number of jazz greats, Billie Holiday and Miles Davis among them.

When Q-Tip picks up the phone for a recent interview with CL, you can hear a relaxed tone in his voice. He seems to be in good spirits, but as the questions flow and his answers are short, you realize maybe all isn't quite right ... and then it happens. He blows his nose and releases a couple of harsh coughs. He shakes it off though nothing happened, but kicking off a nationwide tour when you are feeling under the weather can't be fun. Especially when you're riding on a packed, loud tour bus. "There are TVs going in both rooms, so I hope you'll be able to hear me," the soft-spoken artist says.

One of the founding members of the legendary hip-hop act A Tribe Called Quest, these days, Q-Tip, 38, is focused on his solo career. He started with Tribe when he was just 18 years old -- the band broke up in 1998. The group has played a number of shows since reuniting in 2006, some as recent as this year. He says the old days with Tribe, as expected, have had a big influence on his sound today. "It's all drawing from the same well," he says. "It was a different time, though, a different age." His most recent effort, The Renaissance, was released on Nov. 4.

Here's a list of the winners from last night's American Music Awards. It makes me weep for the future of music...

Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist -- Chris Brown
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist -- Rihanna
Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group -- Daughtry
Favorite Pop/Rock Album -- "As I Am" by Alicia Keys

Favorite Country Male Artist -- Brad Paisley
Favorite Country Female Artist -- Taylor Swift
Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group -- Rascal Flatts
Favorite Country Album -- "Carnival Ride" by Carrie Underwood

Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist -- Chris Brown
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist -- Rihanna
Favorite Soul/R&B Album -- "As I Am" by Alicia Keys

Head out to Snug Harbor tonight to check out this month's Crowntown Showdown. It's a great way to see a variety of bands for a good price -- and you may get hooked up with the latest copy of Jeff Hahne's Homebrew CD, too!

While the event started out as a competition, it's now a local and regional showcase of talent.

Head out to Snug Harbor tonight to check out this month's Crowntown Showdown. It's a great way to see a variety of bands for a good price -- and you may get hooked up with the latest copy of Jeff Hahne's Homebrew CD, too!

While the event started out as a competition, it's now a local and regional showcase of talent.

The Deal: 31-year-old releases second studio effort as 14-song, double CD.

The Good: You can't complain about a lack of material here - the first disc is nine songs lasting roughly 50 minutes; the second disc is five tracks and runs just under 20 minutes. Yamagata's smoky vocals evoke plenty of emotion and her songwriting is superb. I started to give up on "Little Life" as a slow and sleepy number, but two minutes in Yamagata's vocals really kick in and the song gets a new life. "Sunday Afternoon" is a nine-minute epic that goes from lone piano moments to kicked-up choruses full of strings and heartfelt singing to a brief moment of exploratory instrumentation reminiscent of Pink Floyd. It's no wonder why she's worked with artists such as Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams, Jason Mraz, Connor Oberst and Mandy Moore. The musical layers add just the right flavor when needed - found in the form of string sections or horns. Her voice goes well with the whispered style of LaMontagne on "Duet." The second disc is five songs - including a few more upbeat pop songs that show her diversity as a singer, songwriter and artist. Yamagata can set a mood in slower songs and bring the right energy for the faster ones.