Much like its predecessor
Hot August Night 2,
Live in America captures
Neil Diamond at the height of his powers as a showman. By the time
Live in America was recorded, it had been several years since he had a hit; in fact, the closest he had come to the top of the charts was when
UB40 took a reggae remake of "Red Red Wine" to number one. That doesn't mean the album is a wash-out.
Diamond hauls out his old hits -- including an approximation of
UB40's interpretation of "Red Red Wine" -- and gives one hell of a show. It might not offer anything that the previous
Hot August Nights did, but
Live in America remains an entertaining listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine