Art Garfunkel was the heart of Simon & Garfunkel - a lovely tenor whose singing could soar to magnificent heights and gentle beauties throughout the duo's entire existence. No doubt, Garfunkel was a key figure in their pairing, but when they inevitably split, he was left with a new debacle. Art was a great singer, but he always relied on the writings of Paul Simon, for he's never been a songwriter (or at least, not nearly to the extent of Simon). On his debut, Garfunkel instead tackles works from the likes of other songwriters - Paul Williams, Van Morrison, Jimmy Webb, and Randy Newman (blessed by thy name) all have compositions sung by Garfunkel on this album. It's a good debut, and one that gives Garfunkel's beautiful voice ample room to stretch and soar, even if some moments feel like something is missing in the equation.
For the most part, Angel Clare is brilliantly produced by both Garfunkel and longtime producer Roy Halee, who had previously had a large hand in the Simon & Garfunkel sound. Another key part of the excellent sound is the all-star cast of musicians, not limited to the most well-known session players that money could hire out - Hal Blaine, Joe Osborn, Fred Carter Jr., Larry Knechtel, J.J. Cale, Jerry Garcia, Carl Radle, and even Paul Simon are all on this record (the latter is only on the second track, though, and it's surprisingly un-S&G like in contents). Despite having many of the personnel behind the duo's sound on this record, it really does have a voice of its own, as if it's an evolution of the big professionalism on Bridge - the top 40 hit "I Shall Sing" is a good example, an upbeat number about the love of music that shows Garfunkel layering his voice to create some great harmonies in what is one of the album's highest moments. The moments that shine brightest on Angel Clare take ample advantage of Garfunkel's freedom, such as the incredibly strong opener "Traveling Boy" or the two-part medley of "Feuilles-Oh / Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls on Their Way to the Moon?". Other strong moments capture the powerful and resonant quality of Garfunkel's voice, such as the penultimate song "Barbara Allen," which is a beautiful performance.
Now, unfortunately, this brings me to my major criticism of some of the songs - some of them just feel really empty. Side B opener "All I Know" is just a bit of a sleepy tune, but even some of the better moments like closer "Another Lullaby" or the rendition of Randy Newman's "Old Man" feel very lacking. This is the part where I use the criticism that I've been hesitant to use throughout this entire review - these songs are missing Paul Simon. That's what it is. A song like "Old Man" is simply crying and pleading for his lower harmonies to partner with Art's lovely tenor - without it, something is almost certainly missing from the equation, and it isn't the sound or production, which is as lovely as anything else on the record. That hurt to say, believe me, but it's the only conclusion I could draw from some of these songs; "Man, this is missing Paul."
Don't let that distract from the bigger picture, though, because most of Angel Clare is a very good album. It's varied in sound, style, and song choice, and generally Art does a pretty good job at being able to carry a tune by himself - in fact, he's usually pretty good at it. It's wonderfully produced, confidently executed, and generally the choice of material is suited for Garfunkel's beautiful vocal stylings. If you liked the overall sound of a Simon & Garfunkel record, than this feels like a natural continuation of that - just scratch out the "Simon &" part from the record.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Angel Clare.
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