ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Simon - Graceland

    Paul Simon was at a personal and career low by 1984 - his working and personal relationship with musical partner Art Garfunkel had dissolved after a few years of successful reunion, and the duo's resulting album Think Too Much was shelved. The album was instead released without Garfunkel as Hearts and Bones, which was a commercial failure upon release in 1983. On top of it all, his marriage to actor Carrie Fisher had collapsed after just one year; Simon was left in a period of depression. Eventually, his depressive period would subside, and just as Simon found his next musical ambition - it was in a bootleg tape of mbaqanga, South African street music. He became fascinated and obsessed with the musical sound, which eventually lead to Simon flying with producer Roy Halee to Johannesburg for two weeks to record with South African artists. When he got back, further recordings blossomed into the music of Graceland. While Simon had always been a musically diverse artist, never before had he fused world music as cleanly and with such variety as he does on Graceland - tinges of pop, rock, country, new wave, a cappella, zydeco, mbaqanga, soukous, and mbube all shade what is Simon's most musically rich album in nearly a decade, which makes the perfect background for some of Simon's strongest material. Graceland was not only Simon's comeback, but his second artistic pinnacle - a bold stroke of genius through and through.

    By far the most enduring aspect of Graceland is Simon's musical diversity. This is, as I'm sure we've seen, nothing new with Paul Simon; a dash of reggae in "Mother and Child Reunion," healthy doses of gospel and New Orleans music throughout Rhymin' Simon and Still Crazy, a splash of samba on "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard." Simon was always one to look to the world for musical influence, but never before had it been on such a wide scale as on Graceland. While it's a rock record at heart, Simon's fusions with various sounds and styles from the African continent creates layers of rhythms and musical richness that, in many ways, puts it above just about everything he's done prior. The accordion-led genre of zydeco dominates the album on moments like the powerful opener "The Boy in the Bubble," the bouncing "Gumboots," or the reflective "That Was Your Mother" that serves as the album's penultimate moment. Not just that, but the album is filled with African music undertones, which to date remains Graceland's main selling point on the tin - the guitar-led stylings of soukous bubble under songs like the glorious title track or the energetic "I Know What I Know." The a cappella of mbube also is a focal point at many points on the album, such as the excellent opening to the smooth rock and mbaqanga of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" or the completely a cappella "Homeless." This is without mentioning the undertones of country on certain songs or the full-on implementation of new wave on the massive hit of "You Can Call Me Al." Simon throws everything at the wall, and it does far more than stick; it adheres. This is all without even mentioning that his group of musicians are incredibly tight - the real MVP here is bassist Baghiti Kumalo, whose fuzzy lines give a whole lot of groove to moments all throughout Graceland.

    Of course, Paul Simon's strongest strength is more than just his ability to play with any musical genre he sees fit - he's one of the greatest songwriters in the world, after all, and considering his recent troubles in life, he's got quite the inspiration to draw on. He does draw on that influence at quite a few points throughout the album, most notably with the story-telling of "Crazy Love, Vol. II," which has long been speculated to be about his failing relationship with Carrie Fisher - to call it an album highlight would be redundant on an album that never stumbles once throughout its runtime. The message to Simon's son on "That Was Your Mother" is just as rich at points with it's recollection of days "before you were born, dude, when I was still single and life was great." - a song acclaimed by Joe Strummer of The Clash as being just as good as "Blue Suede Shoes." In many ways, the lyrical concepts that Simon talks about are simple in some ways - two opposites meeting? You got the rich girl with diamonds on the soles of her shoes and the poor boy, empty as a pocket with nothing to lose. The story of a midlife crisis forms "You Can Call Me Al," one of Simon's most enduring tunes from the album. Of course, Simon also litters his album with more dark or complex lyrical concepts - the chaotic environment of "The Boy in the Bubble" paints an image of chaos and destruction, juxtaposed with the hopeful emphasis that "These are the days of miracle and wonder." The reflection on the influence of music on "Under African Skies" is amongst one of Simon's most beautiful compositions, and themes of unity on "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints" are the ideal way to wrap up such a sonically diverse and creative album.

    Graceland was the career revival that Paul Simon probably felt he needed, and frankly there's not a better album he could've come back with. While the preceding albums of Hearts and Bones or One Trick Pony were great efforts (especially Hearts and Bones), Graceland is Simon's most ambitious and creative work since his '72 self-titled, and in many ways it's up there as his finest album ever made. It's a lush exploration of African music with some deeply personal lyrics, catchy melodies, and an immaculate production through and through. Graceland is a triumph from start to finish, and is rightfully considered one of Simon's most brilliant works, and it all is still as impactful, rich, and hook-y nearly forty years after the fact. I could say more, but everybody would know exactly what I'm talking about - it must be heard to be believed.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Graceland.