Review of The Rhythm Of The Saints - Paul Simon
This heavenly body of work will inspire, surprise, and envelope the listener until they find themselves swept away by this cool, cool river of sound. I highly recommend this music.
“The rage, the rage of love turns inward
To prayers of devotion
And these prayers are
The constant road across the wilderness...“
These are lyrics contained in the deeply moving song, Cool, Cool River, on Paul Simon’s album Rhythm of the Saints, released in the fall of 1990. This album was my first introduction to world-beat music, namely the indigenous sounds of Brazil and South Africa.
While many an artist at that point in his career could have just rested on his laurels and been labeled a great, or worse, a great has-been, Simon broadened his horizons with a trip to South Africa in the mid-80’s. What he created as a result of his journey is this collection, proving his lyrical intelligence and his ability to write sophisticated music.
OBVIOUS CHILD
“I’m accustomed to a smooth ride
Or maybe I’m a dog who’s lost its bite
I don’t expect to be treated like a fool no more
I don’t expect to sleep through the night
Some people say a lie’s a lie’s a lie
But I say why
Why deny the obvious child?
Why deny the obvious child?“
FURTHER TO FLY
“There may come a time
When I will lose you
Lose you as I lose my light
Days falling backward into velvet night
The open palm of desire
Wants everything
It wants everything
It wants soil as soft as summer
And the strength to push like spring“
SHE MOVES ON
“I feel good
It’s a fine day
The way the sun hits off the runway
A cloud shifts
The plane lifts
She moves on“
BORN AT THE RIGHT TIME
“Never been lonely
Never been lied to
Never had to scuffle in fear
Nothing denied to
Born at the instant
The church bells chime
And the whole world whispering
Born at the right time“
THE COOL, COOL RIVER
SPIRIT VOICES
THE RHYTHM OF THE SAINTS
CAN’T RUN BUT
THE COAST
PROOF
There are hints along the way here that seem to point away from the Earth and towards the Heavens as a means of getting closer to answers to questions that may not be so simply satisfied by scientific thought. This heavenly body of work will inspire, surprise, and envelope the listener until they find themselves swept away by this cool, cool river of sound.
It’s great music to listen to while waking up. It will put you in a good mood.