Paul Simon

After the commercial catastrophe of Tales of the Capeman, this collection -- Paul Simon's first proper LP of new material since 1990 -- is a gentle affair, highlighted with his ever-youthful falsetto and an intricate rhythmic engine of Afro-pop guitar. Afro-Brazilian elements have been in his musical vocabulary so long that, even if many of these tunes sound like Rhythm of the Saints B-sides, he sounds perfectly comfortable amongst all the djembe and kalimba. After some warming up, the record offers some real charmers in "Darling Lorraine" and the title track.