Paul Simon - You're The One (2000/2015)
 FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time - 56:40 minutes | 1,26 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

 The title of this 11-song collection says it all. You're the One is as understated as they come; this time out, Simon is a singer-songwriter, not a composer. As such, You're the One is more reminiscent of initial insular post-Simon & Garfunkel LPs like There Goes Rhymin' Simon and Still Crazy After All These Years than the expansive Graceland. With no new lands to conquer, Simon has fashioned a collection whose appeal lies with its 11 crafty, catchy tunes, all of which are delivered with spirit and wit, particularly on the character-driven likes of "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves," "Darling Lorraine," and "Old".


 he disaster of Songs from the Capeman hit Paul Simon particularly hard, so he decided to quickly record a new album, his first proper collection of songs since 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints -- his first album in ten years, really. Nevertheless, if this album has a relative, it's 1982's Hearts and Bones, since it's a deliberately low-key, insular record, especially when compared to the sweeping worldbeat explorations of Graceland and Rhythm. But where Hearts and Bones was a singer/songwriter album, no two ways about it, You're the One illustrates the influence of its predecessors, but it's not showy about it. The African and South American rhythms are as much a foundation of Simon's music as folk is, and his compositions reflect it, boasting surprisingly tricky rhythms that carry through to his melodies themselves. That, combined with Simon's determination to meet aging head-on, makes You're the One a bit of an acquired taste, especially since its compositions are never overtly accessible and melodic -- they're all tone poems, driven as much by tone and lyric as song itself. This all results in a record that may be a little too deliberately low-key and elliptical for most tastes, especially since it demands full concentration even from serious fans. But this does reward close listening, and even if it doesn't shine as brilliantly as Hearts and Bones (his most underappreciated record), it does share some similarities in that it's an unassumingly intellectual record that feels like it was made without an audience in mind. Which means it's more interesting than successful, but interesting can have its own rewards.  


Tracklist:

 01 - That's Where I Belong
 02 - Darling Lorraine
 03 - Old
 04 - You're the One
 05 - The Teacher
 06 - Look at That
 07 - Señorita with a Necklace of Tears
 08 - Love
 09 - Pigs, Sheep and Wolves
 10 - Hurricane Eye
 11 - Quiet
 12 - That's Where I Belong (Live)
 13 - Old (Live)
 14 - Hurricane Eye (Live)