After tapping into the pulse of South African and Brazilian styles on Graceland and The Rhythm Of The Saints, and then mixing Latino doo-wop with conceptual fire on Songs From The Capeman in 1997, Paul Simon assumed a more simple and reserved stance on his 2000 album, You’re The One. The essence behind this offering reaffirms the fact that, after all these crazy years, Simon still stood head and shoulders above the rest as one of music’s quintessential songsmiths. Even with some exotic touches here and there, You’re The One is an undemanding portrait of a man on the quest for self-discovery and redemption. After 12 albums, perhaps it was high time for Simon to get reflective and expose his innermost thoughts on record. With most artists, that seems to be par for the course.
The intimate and world-flavored “That’s Where I Belong” sets the pace for an intricate musical odyssey that ceaselessly weaves and flows. “Darling Lorraine” is a dandy little romp, tactfully tapered by a spot of guitar sustain while “Old” is a be-bopping poke at the aging process as it relates to someone of Simon’s generation. The jazzy strains carried by the Latin backbeats of the title track show that Simon doesn’t want to let go of the distinctive world-flavored gallop he adopted in the early 80s. You have to tip your hat to the flamenco flair of “Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears” that toots such optimistic lines as “That’s the way it’s always been and that’s the way I like it” while championing frogs as the cure for pain. Or the percussive sparseness swimming in an acoustic river in something like “Pigs, Sheep and Wolves” or “Hurricane Eye.” And then, as if to say good-bye, Simon asks for “Quiet” while he settles into a solitary mood to finish off the album.
Without the headiness or Artie Garfunkel taking up half the marquee, Paul Simon delivered one of his most eloquent pieces of work in years with You’re The One. The early 2000s was an active time for the singer, dotting the countryside with small and intimate performances and honored as 2001’s MusiCares Person of The Year. He could take comfort then and fore years to come that his music is as timeless and valid as it was when it first burst onto the scene in the 1960s. That’s a track record anyone would be proud of.
~ Shawn Perry
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