POP MUSIC : Diamond Strikes Gold in Nashville : *** NEIL DIAMOND, “Tennessee Moon”, Columbia

Like Paul Simon before him, Neil Diamond decided to find fresh inspiration in a foreign land. Granted, Diamond only traveled as far as Nashville to make his new album, but for a Jewish boy from Brooklyn, that’s still pretty exotic. Despite his penchant for wearing rhinestones in concert, Diamond has never been anybody’s idea of a cowboy.

It turned out to be his smartest artistic move in 20 years. By collaborating with some of this genre’s finest writers and musicians, Diamond reestablishes himself as an able craftsman of taut, organic-sounding pop.

On the autobiographical ballad “Win the World,” the singer--dealing with the fallout of the recent breakup of his second marriage--paints a bittersweet portrait of a man who realizes too late what love requires. And “Reminisce for a While” is a classic country tear-jerker, on which co-writer Raul Malo (from the Mavericks) lends plaintive harmonies.

The album isn’t entirely somber, though. On “Marry Me,” Diamond sings warmly about the power of faith in relationships. And “Blue Highway,” co-written with Harlan Howard and featuring Chet Atkins on guitar, closes “Tennessee Moon” on a buoyant note, with Diamond fondly reflecting on his trip down South. It was a fruitful journey, to be sure.