Album review: Paul Simon makes no concession to age in Stranger to Stranger

In the album, Simon employs custom-made instruments with microtonal tunings created by 20th century composer and theorist Harry Partch.

Paul Simon performs at the Country Music Hall of Fame benefit concert in New York. Simon’s latest album, Stranger to Stranger, was released on June 3. Photo by Evan Agostini / Invision / AP

Stranger to Stranger

Paul Simon

Concord

Four stars

No 1960s folkie has written more great music for dancing than Paul Simon – and at 74, he still wants us to feel the beat. Stranger to Stranger showcases Rhymin' Paul's polyrhythms in new, exotic combinations by employing custom-made instruments with microtonal tunings created by 20th century composer and theorist Harry Partch. It sounds better than that description sounds.

The album runs to a brisk 37 minutes, and such tunes as Wristband, In a Parade, The Riverbank and Cool Papa Bell create grooves worthy of Graceland. But the pulse is often unpredictable – even one-minute instrumental The Clock skips a beat at the end.

Simon's voice makes no concession to age – he sings with the same boyish, earnest precision as always, as if every word is important. There's not an ounce of flab in lyrics full of surprising twists, such as the couplet pairing Street Angel with Seroquel.