Paul Simon- and bear with me on this is the only true genius working in American music today. For 50 years he’s taken worthy world music from English folk to reggae, South African and Brazilian music and added a sense of humour and videos starring Chevy Chase. For his tenth album, Paul's got avant garde boffin Brian Eno producing and co-writing. It might seem an odd pairing, but this is the bravest album of Simon’s career. Abandoning traditional song structures is one thing, but adding anti-war lyrics and cinematic arrangements to produce a set of songs that are funny and poignant is quite another. From the affecting ‘How Can You Live In The Northeast?' to the irate ‘Wartime Prayers’, this surprise is an entirely pleasant one.
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