Paul Simon is a little man with a little voice, but he's been a giant in pop music for 30 years. From his days as the more recognizable half of a dynamic folksy duo to his wide ranging solo career, Simon has proven his versatility as an artist. Secure in his songwriting and legendary status, Simon's recent efforts have seen him reaching beyond his realm and into Broadway with his disastrous musical, "The Capeman." With his new solo album, "You're The One," Simon returns to his roots and reminds us why he's one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our time.
"You're The One" is a collection of mid-tempo percussion-driven tunes with the vocals out front. Simon continues to draw from other cultures in the tradition of "Cecilia" in the eclectic mix of exotic instruments such as the vihuela, celeste, dobro and trumba doo which support the conventional guitar. What the hell is a tromba doo? Don't ask me - for all the curious names behind the music, the album's sound is pleasant.
The vocals rest upon tickled guitars with occasional wind instruments chiming in. There's no shiny production here, simply well-composed instrumentals supporting the melody.
The easy-listening aspect of "You're The One" could be its greatest liability. The album could soothe you, or send you straight to sleep. The most upbeat songs are cute, not driven. A standout track is "Old," a gentle jab at Simon's age as well as a reflection on the larger definition of what it is to be old. After all, what is Simon's age, 58 years, in the grand scheme of things? As Simon notes in "Old," "The human race has walked the earth for 2.7 million / And we estimate the universe at 13-14 billion / When all these numbers tumble your imagination / Consider that the Lord was there before creation." This song in particular shows Simon's wisdom with age and experience - the entire album feels like a father-son dialogue. Simon wistfully offers his advice, knowing his wayward son will probably just ignore him.
Though Simon is perhaps one of the most adept lyricists of the past generation, he hits a brick wall with one type of song on "You're The One" - the unavoidable song with a story line. Do you like pi¤a coladas and getting caught in the rain? If you answered yes, you'll probably also like "Darling Lorraine" and "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves."
While the former may be forgiven - it's a sweet story of young lovers turned to bored spouses and then to grateful senior citizens - the latter feels like Raffi.
"Pigs, Sheep and Wolves" may have been written as the antithesis to "You Can Call Me Al," Simon's best solo effort, bar none. "Pigs" is the story of a "big and fat / barnyard thug" porcine killer who does away with the sheep and frames the wolf.
Lyrics such as "Big and fat / Pig's supposed to look like that / Barnyard thug / Sleeps on straw and calls it a rug," cause Simon fan's to question the songwriter's future as a lyricist. A showcase for Simon's cleverness in that it takes a whimsical departure from what many fans are used to, the song nevertheless feels almost insulting, as if it was written for five-year-olds.
But "You're The One" struggles past "Pigs" to end as strongly as could be hoped for with "Quiet." The album's final track moves away from bouncing drumbeats to ethereal atmosphere and Simon's finest, most memorable lyrics. It's hard to choose one stanza that stands out, but try this: "I am headed for a time of solitude / Of peace without illusions/ When the perfect circle / Marries all beginnings and conclusions." There's only one problem with "Quiet" - it feels like the perfect ending to an album full of bold statements. "You're The One" is anything but bold.
The album is a safe bet for a legendary composer and performer who has learned both from his mistakes and from his moments of greatness. He ends up somewhere in between both points in his career and turns in the direction of past successes rather than changing to fit into a popular mold. Long astray from what he does best, Paul Simon is homeward bound with "You're The One"
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