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Title: Mellow beauty
Review: Paul Simon is a master craftsman, and we find him having some fun on this odd collection of songs. The multicultural percussion is still here, as well as a very light touch in all the instrumentation sounds. There are moments of great beauty and poignancy. Be it said, however, that this album will not be viewed in retrospect as one of Simon's best achievements. (There's no shame in that, since his best achievements are incredible, but I feel the need to let you know not to expect overmuch. This is a more homespun little effort.) Here he relies on occasionally wandering melodies (a la Joni Mitchell) and more simple rhymes. A few tracks (such as "Pigs, Sheep, Wolves") are downright bizarre, but give the man credit for doing whatever he damn well feels like and not worrying about being overly commercial. It's always been one of his strengths. If you want a mellow album, there have been no better ones this year.
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