Nearly Neil and the Solitary Band

By Beverley E. Park

He wasn’t quite Neil Diamond, but Bobby Bruce’s “Nearly Neil and the Solitary Band” certainly presented an entertaining tribute to the artist’s 40-plus years of songwriting and performing at the Rabobank Theater Jan. 14. The show was part of the ongoing season hosted by the Bakersfield Community Concert Association.

The evening opened with Diamond’s first American No. 1 hit, “Cracklin’ Rosie.” This song has an interesting background. Cracklin’ Rose is actually a bottle of wine. The idea was born from a folk story of an Indian tribe with more men than women. When the guys all took their girls out for the weekend, those without girls took their Rose in a bottle, thus the birth of Neil’s idea.  As with many of Neil’s songs, there are interesting stories behind the words.

Bruce shared the spotlight with his band members as he sang each selection, often including his own talents on the rhythm guitar.  “Play Me,’ a beautiful love song describing the development of the singer’s relationship with a new lover from its inception through its maturity, featured Dave Corman on the guitar.  The chorus of “Play Me” celebrates how people complement each other to complete each other.

“Love on the Rocks,” written for the soundtrack of “The Jazz Singer,” was originally titled “Scotch on the Rocks” and had a reggae feeling. However, after writing the lyrics, Diamond felt the words led to a need for a ballad and the title was changed. Craig Zurba on the keyboard transformed the ballad into a memorable rendition.

A wonderful musician and showman, the drummer and band leader Kyle Radomsky gave a nice background beat and yet, at just the right time, he tool center stage and livened the scene with his ability and humor.

Bruce involved the audience with clapping and singing along, and even invited two women in the audience to join him on stage for “Song Sung Blue.” As a tribute to Buck Owens, Bruce sang “Kentucky Woman.” Most of the songs on the program were written by Diamond, with a few written by others and made popular by Diamond’s vocal talents.

A great asset to the group is the newest member, Marlow Holder, on bass guitar. Holder gave each song an added depth that would have been missing without him. His sparkling personality and youth gave the group the perfect lift and his solo performance was outstanding. The show included many other Diamond favorites, including “Holly Holy,” “Solitary Man” and “Forever in Blue Jeans.” And, of course, no Neil Diamond tribute would be complete without closing with “Sweet Caroline.”

Three shows remain in the Bakersfield Community Concert Association’s 2009-2010 season: Tenor Daniel Rodriguez on Feb. 11, Pianist Rudolf Budginas on March 24, and ABBA-Mania on April 25. Season memberships are $60 for adults, $30 for full-time college students and $20 for students through high school. For more information, visit www.bakersfieldcca.org or call 205-8522.