Yesterday I sang the praises of current recording artists putting out new material with more regularity than has become the norm in modern times. So today I find that my plaudits are going to an artist who has, on this occasion and similarly in the past, taken about five years to produce a new album. To be fair to Paul Simon though, he did keep that album-a-year work rate up when he was in his twenties so nowadays he's pretty much earned the right to take whatever time he wants. He's always been a meticulous worker anyway and at least doing things thoroughly he ensures that when he does put out an album it will be something worth listening to. I'll say this for him too; out of all the songwriters of his generation he is arguably the only one who to this day constantly moves forward with every release. Paul Simon has never repeated himself across his entire career.
This time around he's created a sonic mix that brilliantly blends electro-Rock sounds with more flowing acoustic guitar work than Simon's indulged in for at least 30 years. Top that off with some thunderous rhythms and a lyrical turn that's as sharp, witty and moving as we've ever heard from this songwriters pen and you've got a legend enjoying an Indian summer every bit as potent as Bob Dylan's or Neil Young's. Yes there's layers upon layers of incredible production flourishes to marvel at but underneath it all Simon has once again written some great songs. It's such a shame that the singles chart have become so Urban dominant because there's little doubt that the man could still write hit singles in his sleep. He had a stab at it last Christmas by releasing the infectious lead track 'Getting Ready For Christmas Day' as a single. It really should have been given a chance to make a mark on the festive market, with a looping hook and a finely aimed lyric about the unfortunates who have to celebrate the season of good will far from home in a war zone, it's chances of becoming a winter standard were surely robbed. I mean unless you specifically followed the work of Paul Simon you'd be forgiven for not knowing he even had a Christmas single out this time last year, let alone hearing that it was pretty good. The dark humour is a treat too, especially from the earnest songwriter who in 1968 wrote the line "how terribly strange to be seventy". Now that strangeness is near, he's imagining scenes of God returning to the 21st Century Earth and declaring "the people are slobs here" and a journey into heaven that requires a wait in line and a form to be filled in. But then it's not all tongue in cheek and when the fantastic closing track sings "you know that life is what you make of it, so beautiful or so what" you see that Paul Simon has nailed it again just as he always could.
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