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Paul Simon: Surprise
Surprise (2006), was Paul Simon's first album in six years. It was also the first to feature Brian Eno, the father of ambient music, as producer.
In addition to the experimental music for which he is better known, Eno has also produced groups such as Talking Heads, Ultravox and U2.
Simon has not been that prolific of late. Graceland (1986) was probably his last decent studio album, with another three that followed: The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), Songs From the Capeman (1997), and You're the One (2000). None of those three were worth noting.
Eno's hand can be seen on the album, although he doesn’t dominate it. Who could get away with dominating as great a legend as Paul Simon?. But Eno brings a deeper expressiveness to the songs. Simon' can tend to be expressionless in his delivery.
Eno does well in getting the musical arrangements to match the lyrics, which are more topical than usual for Simon. “How Can You Live in the Northeast?” is a post-New Orleans/Hurricane Katrina song: “How can you live in the northeast? / How can you live in the south? / How can you build on the banks of a river / When the flood water pours from the mouth?”
“Outrageous” is odd. It has a happy feel to the music, but the lyrics are about lining pockets at the expense of the poor, the quality of food at schools and so on.
There are some more intimate moments that don’t deal with politics, with subjects including running away from a wedding to find another life (“Another Galaxy”), a biographical sketch (“That's Me”) and the love between a father and his daughter (“Father and Daughter”).
The lyrics of the latter are great: “And though I can't guarantee / There's nothing scary hiding under your bed / I'm gonna stand guard / Like a postcard of a golden retriever / And never leave till I leave you / With a sweet dream in your head.”
Surprise is a bit serious, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not a bad album, but it’s no great shakes either. Although it won’t generate new fans, existing fans will want to give it a listen.
Great tracks: Outrageous; Father and Daughter
OK tracks: How Can You Live in the Northeast?; Everything About It Is a Love Song; Sure Don’t Feel Like Love; Wartime Prayers; Beautiful; I Don’t Believe; Another Galaxy; Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean; That’s Me
Weak tracks: None
