I bought the new Neil Diamond album. Never thought I'd say that.

I was curious because every review I'd read just lauded "12 Songs." Rick Rubin produced the record. He's worked with The Beastie Boys, The Black Crowes and Johnny Cash's later works.

The album is kind of sparse, but uses simple, rich sounds. Sparse and rich? OK, it uses a few instruments (mainly Diamond's acoustic guitar) really well.

It's worth a listen for the Diamond fan and those who might want to get familiar with a legendary artist.

Here's what I've been listening to:

"The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get" (Live) by Morrissey
"Captain Of A Shipwreck" by Neil Diamond
"Use It" by The New Pornographers
"Finish Your Collapse And Stay For Breakfast" by Broken Social Scene
"Acrobat" by U2
"So Real" by Jeff Buckley
"Act Naturally" by The Beatles
"Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder
"Money" by Pink Floyd
"40" by U2