Paul Simon – Seven Psalms (CD)
Review
Turning to Seven Psalms of his own creation for comfort and clarity, the retired-from-touring Paul Simon wrestles with the big question on his unexpected new album.
Seven Psalms is a 33-minute song cycle full of recurring musical themes, Easter-egg allusions to Simon’s songbook and of stream-of-consciousness lyrics that include talking cows and the almighty as a record producer.
Mostly acoustic, wispy and orchestral, and splattered with percussion but no drums, Seven Psalms is the kind of spare music that once would have leaned on Simon’s lyrics for strength. But such metaphors as, “Broke me like a twig in a winter gale” aren’t the stuff of “Bridge over Troubled Water” or “The Sound of Silence.”
Edie Brickell joins her 81-year-old husband on the LP’s final third, bringing warm sunshine to a winter album. And it is here that Simon’s agnosticism seems to lean more toward believing than not.
“Amen,” the couple sing as the book closes on Seven Psalms.
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— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com
Product Details
Written in his early seventies after a period of significant hearing loss, Seven Psalms finds Simon confronting mortality, faith, and the passage of time with the directness of someone who has earned the right to ask the big questions. It sits apart from nearly everything else in his catalog, closer in spirit to the sacred song traditions that quietly underpin so much of his work, from the gospel undertow of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to the South African choral textures of Graceland.
Recorded entirely on acoustic instruments, and predominantly performed by Paul, Seven Psalms showcases Simon’s craft at its finest and most captivating, simply with his voice and guitar. Intended to be listened to as one continuous piece, the 33-minute, seven-movement composition transcends the concept of the “album".
A stunning, intricately layered work, it’s a record which establishes an engaging and meditative, almost hymnal soundscape, with Paul’s lyrics providing the gravitational center for constellations of sound woven from guitar strings and other acoustic instrumentation – including choral elements from the highly-regarded British vocal ensemble VOCES8, and a beautiful vocal appearance by Edie Brickell.
True to the origin of psalms as hymns meant to be sung rather than spoken, Seven Psalms reaches back to the very genesis of folk music: King David’s Psalms. The result is a quietly moving musical experience which uncovers a wealth of subtle details with every repeated listen. A step apart from anything Paul Simon has released before, Seven Psalmsdefies categorization.
The record’s tone is complemented by its artwork, which features a close-up extract of “Two Owls” by the celebrated landscape artist Thomas Moran.
Tracklist
UPC: 196587791124
Label: Sony Legacy
Release Date: 5.19.23
Format: CD