BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) — Neil Diamond wrote and recorded his first studio album of new material in six years, floating in the heady glow of new love.

The 73-year-old entertainer, who married for the third time in 2012, says happiness with his new bride fuelled his work on Melody Road, out yesterday.

“There’s no better inspiration or motivation for work than being in love. It’s what you dream of as a creative person,” Diamond said in a recent interview. “I was able to complete this album — start it, write it and complete it — under the spell of love, and I think it shows somehow.”

Not that he allowed his wife, Katie McNeil, in on the making of the songs.

A songwriter since the early 1960s, Diamond has become extremely disciplined about his process. He writes every day, regardless of inspiration or deadlines. He doesn’t listen to, or play, any other music while working on his own material, and he doesn’t preview his songs for anyone until they’ve been recorded.

His wife didn’t hear the album — even the songs he wrote for her — until it was finished.

“I’m very strict with myself now because I’m the only one who’s looking over my shoulder,” Diamond said. “Each song is a puzzle, and I’ve chosen to stay with it until it makes its incremental advance toward completion.”

He spent 18 months holed up making Melody Road, a collection of 12 tracks he says tells the story of his life over the past 20 years. There are songs about heartache, about family, and several about finding love.