So Beautiful or So What – Paul Simon

So Beautiful or So What is classic Paul Simon – catchy, lyrical and moving. Music that moves through you and coaxes you into relaxing, quite unconsciously.

This is Simon’s 12th studio album, produced by Paul Simon and Phil Ramone. Wow, this CD sold 68,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No.4 on the US Billboard 200 chart, his highest ever debut on that chart.

Simon himself says this is his best work in 20 years.  Paul Simon has been around for a very long time, longer than I have, and is acclaimed for his enduring, beautiful song writing skills.

paul simon

It is not just his song writing that has given Paul Simon such staying power in the music industry, his voice and guitar playing complete the inspiring trinity of talent this man possesses and utilises to create timeless classics that speak to the soul on a much deeper level than you would expect from the catchy toe tapping tunes and much more sentimental ballads.

Paul Simon is folk rock at its finest, which isn’t usually one of my genres of choice, though I have quite enjoyed listening to this CD and soaking up Simon’s themes which quite often centre around love on a much more widespread level than we usually consider.

All tracks written by Paul Simon. Getting Ready for Christmas Day samples a 1941 sermon by Rev. J.M. Gates with the same name.

The CD liner booklet features a synopsis of the CD by Elvis Costello that will give a little bit of insight into the themes of the songs, and states that this CD “deserves to be recognized as among Paul Simon’s finest achievements.”

Which is really quite a big call when there has been so many achievements to choose from and such a long history of recordings.

A must have for any Paul Simon fan!

Track Listing:

  1. “Getting Ready for Christmas Day” – 4:06
  2. “The Afterlife” – 3:40
  3. “Dazzling Blue” – 4:32
  4. “Rewrite” – 3:49
  5. “Love and Hard Times” – 4:09
  6. “Love Is Eternal Sacred Light” – 4:02
  7. “Amulet” – 1:36
  8. “Questions for the Angels” – 3:49
  9. “Love and Blessings” – 4:18
  10. “So Beautiful or So What” – 4:07

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *