“This whole piece is an argument I’m having with myself about belief or not”: Paul Simon’s latest album is a deeply personal reflection on that big question inspired by a series of strange nocturnal events in 2019.
In a video on his website he recalls what sounds very like the phenomenon of “automatic writing” when, he says, he awoke during the night impelled to write down many of the lyrics heard on this short but richly layered collection.
In particular he cites the refrain “The Lord is my engineer/ The Lord is the earth I ride on/ The Lord is the face in the atmosphere/ The path I slip and slide on ...”
There is an urgency to Simon’s quest. He is 81, one of the greatest songwriters of the modern era. But he remains sharp of mind and remarkably dexterous – his acoustic-guitar playing is a joy. As he sings, “Wait, I’m not ready, I’m just packing my gear/ My hand is steady, my mind is clear.”
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His interest in the spiritual is not new, but here it takes centre stage. He wants the 33-minute Seven Psalms to be listened to as one piece with seven overlapping segments pulled together by his still strong voice and his elegant acoustic guitar, the key recurring riff redolent of Davey Graham’s classic Angi.
Though joined by wife, Edie Brickell, for a moving closing duet, this is a solitary journey, albeit one that intrigues even the sceptical.
