The tunes review of what’s new
the MC Music Man taken on: Paul Simon

By: Dustin Looney
Features Editor

Paul Simon first crashed onto the music scene with fellow singer/songwriter Art Garfunkel in 1967, almost 40 years ago—about double the age of the typical college student. He and Garfunkel were the “hot” new group when our parents (and maybe even a few grandparents) were our age. Last summer, he released his latest album, “Surprise.”

In case if you are wondering, the answer is yes...this guy still has it.

Simon made many records as a member of Simon and Garfunkel, and then he went solo in the mid-70s, although he continued performing with Garfunkel from time to time.

After experimenting with (and in some cases introducing) many different genres of music, including Latin, reggae, jazz and African, “Surprise” is back to good old fashion Paul Simon rock ‘n’ roll.

The CD, which is Simon’s first release in six years and 10th solo effort, came out last summer and has 11 tracks. It was produced by Brian Eno, who is primarily known for his production of U2 albums.

“Surprise” is a pretty mellow CD and features a lot more electric guitar than Simon’s previous albums. The most important thing is that Simon still has that hallmark soothing voice and a knack for lyrics that make you think.

Simon has always included powerful messages in his music, and “Surprise” is no exception. The following songs are some of my personal favorites from the album.

The first track on the CD is “How Can You Live in The Northeast?” which has slow electric guitar music behind Simon’s signature voice. With this song, Simon sets the tone for the CD by asking some deep questions. “Weak as the winter sun, we enter life on earth/Names and religion comes just after date of birth/And everybody gets a tongue to speak/And everyone hears an inner voice/A day at the end of the week to wonder and rejoice.”

The third track on the CD is the most up-tempo song on the CD, and it is called “Outrageous.” This song is the catchiest on the CD and it combines fast paced music with another powerful message.

Immediately following “Outrageous” is “Sure Don’t Feel Like Love.” This song has a different musical sound and displays diversity in Simon’s voice.

The fifth track on “Surprise” is the first politically driven song on the CD, “Wartime Prayers.” As indicated by its title, this song is about the Iraq war. Simon does not directly challenge George W. Bush; he rather puts the listener in the perspective of those being affected by the war: “Times are hard, hard times/But everybody knows all about hard times/The thing is, what are you gonna do?/Will you cry?/And try to muscle rough?/And try to rearrange your stuff?/But when the wounds are deep enough/And it’s all that we can bear/We wrap ourselves in prayer.”

Track nine is another catchy song and it is called “Once upon a time there was an ocean.” In this song, Simon asks, “how am I gonna get outta here?” At the end of the song, when he finally does get outta here, he cleverly notes that “nothing is different but everything has changed.”

The last song, “Father and Daughter,” was made for the 2002 film, “The Wild Thornberrys.” This captivating song deals with a subject very dear to Simon’s heart: his relationship with his daughter. It is similar to his older style of music and has a soft melody backing up typical Simon vocals. He sings “I’m gonna watch you shine/Gonna watch you grow/Gonna paint a sign/So you’ll always know/As long as one and one is two/There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you.”

In my opinion, this is a solid album. I have always appreciated Simon’s music, and after I saw him perform “How Can You Live in The Northeast?” on Saturday Night Live last summer, I was impressed that somebody who is constantly played on oldie stations could still jam out the way he did. My old man (who was about my age when Simon and Garfunkel burst onto the scene) bought me this CD, and most of the songs are impressive.

“Surprise” gets a little boring in the middle of the album, but it has some gem-dandies, too. I suggest you check it out.

Back in 1967 it was actually a movie, “The Graduate,” that introduced Simon & Garfunkel to the world. That film also introduced a young actor named Dustin Hoffman—known to many in our generation as “Mr. Focker.” Considering the phenomenal careers these two artists have had over the past 40 years, I also recommend that you check out “The Graduate.”

Simon has made a wide variety of albums in his extraordinary career. Some of the best known are “Graceland,” “Live Rhymin’” and “Still Crazy After All These Years.”