Seven Psalms

Album review

Who better than Paul Simon to revisit one of the earliest sources of folk music? Because this album, composed of seven independent movements, is inspired by the Psalms of King David (already a source of inspiration for Arthur Honegger, in an alternative style, in 1921). Let’s not forget that the psalms are hymns intended to be sung rather than spoken. The very minimalist instrumental style of Art Garfunkel’s former accomplice agrees with this return to the song’s roots, since Simon only "chants" with his guitar and, of course, his inimitable voice. On occasion other acoustic instruments discreetly intervene ( percussion, flute, strings, harmonica…), as does the presence of his wife, Edie Brickell, as a chorister. The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 also took part in this extraordinary adventure: Simon used soprano voices to simply embellish the end of a guitar note. This fifteenth solo studio album by Paul Simon was born on the morning of 15th January 2019, after one of his dreams instructed him to write a piece called Seven Psalms. He then set to work with a ritual of writing two or three times a week between 3:30 AM and 5:00 AM. Produced by Paul Simon himself alongside Kyle Crusham, Seven Psalms is a moving and serene musical suite, just like the painting by famous landscape artist, Thomas Moran, which adorns the record cover. ©Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz