Neil Diamond is a legend because he dares to dream larger than life. He is shameless with his grandiose ambitions; where other singers try to personalize and make their sentiments more intimate, Diamond is proud to make his feelings into anthems. This collection of covers is great fun. Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” aims for the rafters of the arena. The Beatles’ “Blackbird” showcases Diamond’s unique phrasings. Randy Newman’s “Feels Like Home” proves Diamond has an ear for a great song even if it’s not always so obvious. His take on Newman’s deeply affecting “Losing You” is even more powerful. For more obvious tunes, he turns to Paul McCartney’s over-covered “Yesterday” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” (even Cohen has publicly asked people to stop covering it!) The Eagles’ “Desperado” is a natural. To be a bit playful, Diamond covers the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” a song HE wrote for them. Diamond’s relationship with producer Rick Rubin on previous albums has given him the insights necessary to re-find his own production instincts.