Paul Simon will never be one to rest on his laurels as a songwriter. If something in his canon needs retooling — even if it’s for the umpteenth time — he’ll eagerly undertake the task until perfection on paper and through his guitar match the perfection generated within his creative mind.
Sometimes, Simon opts to tweak a note; other times a lyric. In the case of his 2018 studio album — a highly mature effort — whole instrumentation isn’t out of the realm of updating, whether crafted in the 21st century or not.
Fortunately, In The Blue Light proves Simon can still be fantastically original, despite the collective album comprising deeper cuts from previously released albums spanning a 30-year period from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon to So Beautiful Or So What. From the opening twinkling piano notes of “One Man’s Ceiling is Another Man’s Floor” to the plaintive and engaging concluding track “Questions for the Angels,” Simon is in top form. He enunciates each lyric clearly; adds more oomph to his backing instrumentation (through the inclusion of such notables as Bill Frisell, Wynton Marsalis and Jack DeJohnette), and, frankly, sounds more confident than he has in years.
Simply put, In The Blue Light is a warm and inviting album — one that has more heart and soul given Simon’s soon-to-be departure from the road for good.
Each song on this album works as a highlight, which will leave listeners (myself included) to wonder how 40 minutes just flew by like a breeze. “One Man’s Ceiling” is reworked into a sexy/boozy blues that sounds like it’s coming straight from Dan Auerbach’s musical arsenal. “Can’t Run But” — already terrific in its own marimba-drenched way on The Rhythm Of The Saints — is given a classical twist courtesy of yMusic to elevate it into Arvo Pärt territory. “Pigs, Sheep and Wolves” is transported to Bourbon Street, while “Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War” still dazzles with its allusions to intimacy and doo-wop. From start to finish, “Darling Lorraine” is just a terrific story – essentially “Hearts and Bones, Part Deux.”
The concept of a musician adapting elements of their catalog in modern eras is certainly nothing new. In fact, it’s already encompassed several extremes — from Peter Gabriel’s orchestral New Blood inclinations, to James Taylor’s living room concert style of One Man Band. Yet Simon has always tried to craft art well ahead of its time, even if it means stripping his songs bare. In The Blue Light in no way disappoints. If anything, it just proves Simon’s creative light still burns among the strongest in the artistic pantheon.
~ Ira Kantor
