Review of Surprise Album by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Surprise
Album Review
Warner Bros
The news that Brian Eno was to produce a Paul Simon album led to all kinds of speculation about what we might hear. The surprise is that this is mostly just classic Paul Simon with a revealingly modern feel. Unlike some singer-songwriters who have tried just too hard in recent years - Rickie Lee Jones for one - this is an album that respectfully leaves alone what makes Simon great: the lyricism, the melody, the gliding voice. What it does add are edgier guitars, but only where called for. The power of songs like How Can You Live In The Northeast and Sons and Daughters is clear. It is hard to say that Paul Simon has sounded like he cared this much about the music since Graceland. If you liked that album, but were unsure about the 'world music' thing going on there, Surprise is a surefire hit.
4/5
Mike Rea
Site - http://www.paulsimon.com
