As I sat down to write this review, I searched for the right way
\nto express what I think of the album, and after much thought I
\nbelieve I have found it.<\/p>\n
This album is like a beautiful dream. The coherence in the
\nlyrics is only there when you don’t look for it (like a schooner in
\na Magic Eye painting); the beauty of the music, however, is
\nconstant. Paul Simon famously traveled to Africa to find
\ninspiration (and some musical collaborators) for this album, and it
\nis greater for this.<\/p>\n
The stream of conscious “Boy In The Bubble” is good, but
\ncertainly not the pinnacle of the album. It’s followed by an
\nexcellent, vivid portrayal of lost love — the title track of the
\nalbum is exquisite, with a soft rhythm that is nevertheless driving
\nand intense. The lyrics, not entirely specific, are poignant and
\ntroubled, and exemplify the skill and mastery Simon has for his
\ncraft.<\/p>\n
“Gumboots” is another standout track, almost comical in feel but
\nlyrically somber, pleading with an off-screen love. This cinematic
\nstaging is characteristic of the album, and Simon plays it to great
\neffect.<\/p>\n
“Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes” features Simon backed up by
\nLadysmith Black Mambazo during an extended intro, but the rest is a
\nslow, fluid song. “You Can Call Me Al” is probably the most famous
\nsong of the album, and for good reason — it’s effective and
\nuplifting without being trite, despite the essential incoherence of
\nthe lyrics. The latter half of the album is just as strong, with
\n“Under African Skies” hooking a guitar loop underneath gorgeous
\ndueling vocals (courtesy of Linda Ronstadt) and “The Myth of
\nFingerprints” seeking an entire new mood for the album, with a
\nfaster pulse and harder music.<\/p>\n
\nGraceland<\/i> is an excellent album; if it suffers, it suffers
\nfrom trying too hard — the African influences at times feel a bit
\ncontrived, although in fairness that is rare. Some songs feel like
\nthey are seeking a point, but never quite crest above the surface
\nof pleasant music into beautiful music. Overall, however, it is a
\nsatisfying listen that only improves with time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":26697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5719],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-37952","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-paul-simon","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=37952"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=37952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}