Surprise by Paul Simon

Pros: Paul Simon's newfound lyrical modesty, and Brian Eno's spacier "sonic landscapes"
Cons: "Beautiful" represents everything dislikable about Paul Simon (and his ilk)

It can be interesting and, frankly, uncomfortable watching our favorite artists grapple with their advancing years. Madonna, for instance, is only a few years younger than my Mom, and well, those purple panty pictures in the booklet of her ...

Pros: Simon's lyrics, Eno's production touches, classy, consistent.
Cons: a little too safe--no real surprises here.

Quite frankly Paul Simon is too mellow a music maker to call his album SURPRISE. It sets up people to expect something very different from the 60’s troubadour. You’ll find a few different elements in the music (but you actually ...

Pros: reflective nature of lyrics, unusual sound
Cons: Father and Daughter a bit out of place, no liner notes

For quite a while now, I have been looking forward to Paul Simon’s latest album, Surprise, which finally hit stores a couple weeks ago. It’s a grand year for me because there’s also a new album from Art Garfunkel on the way, not to ...

Pros: Good lyrics; sincere tone
Cons: Many of the tracks lack a catchy hook

Last Month Paul Simon came out with his first pop-oriented album in many years, Surprise. I found it at the local library and decided to check it out. It is a collaboration with producer Brian Eno, who is best known for his work with U2.The album opens ...

Pros: lyrics, production, percussion (!)
Cons: a bit of twee pop, some less-good songs

True to its title (a very bad title, I think), "Surprise" is surprising. Nearly every song is interesting, with several parts to each. Some will start out slow and dreamlike -- familiar introspective-Simon -- then get raw, bluesy, and even ...