Neil Diamond has announced plans to release a new album, eight years after retiring from touring.
The Sweet Caroline singer confirmed this, having previously stepped away from touring following his Parkinson's Disease diagnosis in 2018.
The music legend has also been very candid about his diagnosis.
Speaking to CBS in 2023, Diamond admitted that it took him several years to fully accept his diagnosis.
"When the doctor told me what it was, I was just not ready to accept it. I said: 'Oh, OK, I’ll see you whenever you want to see me, but I have work to do, so I’ll see you later' ...", Diamond said. "I think this has just been in the last few weeks. But somehow, a calm has moved in and the hurricane of my life and things have gotten very quiet".
"And I like it. I find that I like myself better. I’m easier on people. I’m easier on myself and the beat goes on and it will go on long after I’m gone".
He added: "I’m still doing it [accepting the condition] and I don’t like it. OK, so this is the hand that God’s given me and I have to make the best of it. And so I am.
"There’s no cure, there’s no getting away from it. You can’t just say, OK, enough already, let’s get back to life. It doesn’t work like that. But I’ve come to accept what limitations I have and still have great days".
Now, Diamond is to release his new album, Wild At Heart, which will feature songs that were created during her studio sessions with Rick Rubin, the third time that they will collaborate, having previously worked together on 2005's '12 Songs', and 2008's 'Home Before Dark'.
It is to include 10 tracks, comprising of a mix of archived material and newly completed recordings. Nine previously unheard tracks, as well as alternative versions of Forgotten, which had featured on Home Before Dark, will also be included on this album.
"My work with Rick was a labor of love, and I’m so gratified that these songs will finally be set free into the world to complete our trilogy of work", Diamond said in a statement.
Wild At Heart will be released on May 8.
Back in January, it was reported that Neil Diamond had been reduced to tears after seeing Song Sung Blue for the first time.
The film, which stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, sees the pair star as Mike and Claire Sardina, a couple who find fame in the 1990s and early 2000s with their Neil Diamond Tribute Band, Lightening & Thunder.
More on this story here.
