Seven Psalms comes into focus softly and slowly, with
Paul Simon's circular acoustic guitar figure repeating like a benediction. Religion is certainly on
Simon's mind on
Seven Psalms, a collection of seven songs that the singer/songwriter hesitates to call an album; he's so intent on having the tunes being heard as an interconnected set, he didn't index the individual segments on either the CD or digital incarnations. Although the tracks are distinct in melody and even feel, they do all flow together, creating the impression of a single entity. In a sense, every piece from
Seven Psalms is a tributary from the main source, namely a series of writing sessions
Simon held after waking up from a dream in the dead of the night. Despite this origin,
Seven Psalms doesn't follow dream logic.
Simon sculpted these subconscious thoughts into deceptively gentle statements of faith, songs that come on so quietly it can be easy to overlook their inherent strength. Much of the piece is a duet between deft fingerpicking and voice, usually
Simon's, although the British choir
VOCES8 adds texture and, in the closing segments, his wife
Edie Brickell provides clear, empathetic support. Her presence is welcome, even soothing, given the album's folky austerity, yet
Simon hasn't quite abandoned the artistic restlessness and wit that characterize his later work. The mellow shuffle "My Professional Opinion" has a slippery sense of humor, a sign of how he can consciously evoke blues, folk, and gospel forms throughout
Seven Psalms without quite following the conventions of any one of these genres. Such flexibility is so subtle it can take a while to appreciate. At first, the record can seem like a tone poem, a meditation of mortality and spirituality, yet each subsequent listen reveals a moment of grace or insight that helps pull the entirety of the project into relief. In its still-life reflections,
Seven Psalms doesn't play like a summation as much as an epilogue to a major artist's career, music that deepens appreciation for his lasting achievements, of which this mini-suite is certainly one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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