Paul Simon still knows how to groove
I received Paul Simon’s new album So beautiful or so what yesterday, one day earlier than the official release date which is today (thanks Amazon.de). What can you expect of a 69-year old who has had his days? Just listen to all those old singer-songwriters repeating themselves over and over again while their voices are slowly fading. See what I mean?
I should say that I love accoustic guitar music. I always liked Paul Simon in particular since I can so relate to his old Simon & Garfunkel tunes. However, his solo work never impressed me that much. Apart from several nice songs like Me and Julio, American Tune, Slip Slidin’ Away, or Was a sunny day, the majority of his songs don’t really appeal to me. Simon’s productivity and variety of style are amazing and way beyond comparison, though, and peaked in Graceland. This Grammy-winning album unfortunately was his last major success.
All that said, my expectations were still kind of high. The first track, Getting ready for Christmas Day, was released as a mp3-single half a year ago. The afterlife followed about two months ago. One could guess what the album would sound like and I had the slight feeling that he had done it again. He did! Each of the ten songs combines the ease of the young Paul Simon with the wisdom and experience of life of someone who knows that the end is drawing nearer. God or the devine make a frequent appearance in the songs but that doesn’t derogate anything. The first four songs are groovier than ever and will get you in the mood despite of what you believe in, seriously! Listen to Dazzling blue and Rewrite here. You can stream the whole album on this official site. It’s worth it! Let me know what you think…