Paul Simon 20: Seven Psalms

When some musicians retire, they mean it, and that’s it. Others find the muse still waking them up at all hours, and that’s what happened to Paul Simon. Seven Psalms is a 33-minute suite of seven movements, indexed as a single track on CD and streaming, in a meditation on creation, existence, and beyond. To accompany his 80-year-old voice, he plays a variety of guitars, predominantly acoustic, plus keyboards and percussion (including Harry Partch’s Cloud Chamber Bowls), making this his most solo album since his first.

“The Lord” is the main theme here, opening the suite and recurring twice. Over his acoustic guitar he acknowledges the subject as an encompassing giver, as well as “the Covid virus” and “the rising ocean”. “Love Is Like A Braid” is a wonderful melodic poem of gratitude, to someone or something—your choice—and very gentle indeed. For a switch in tempo, “My Professional Opinion” combines riffs from “Sentimental Journey” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”; though that’s likely unintentional, its bass harmonica can’t help but recall “The Boxer”, and just when it starts to groove, we hear “The Lord” again.

A small classical-type quartet features on “Your Forgiveness”, as is a voice ensemble, but we can’t hear the latter at all, incorporated as well as they are into the proceedings. The lyrical tone is getting darker, and the atmosphere of “Trail Of Volcanoes” adds to the unease, and we hear a note of fear as he compares his journey to those of refugees. But there is literally “a change of mood,” and Edie Brickell shows up on “The Sacred Harp” to provide a gesture of assistance and comfort. “The Lord” reappears to put things in perspective; by now He’s not just the engineer of the universe but his “record producer” as well. “Wait” is something of a plea to not leave just yet, but Edie appears again to bless the congregation, and we end with “amen”.

We will not be the first to say that Seven Psalms is a grower, but it is very welcoming on first listen, and refreshing the more familiar it becomes. After a lifetime of crafting and overcrafting, this particular collection does not seem at all labored. If it’s his final statement, it’s a good one. If he’s got more, hopefully he’ll keep it as simple as this.

Paul Simon Seven Psalms (2023)—3½