Graceland (studio album) by Paul Simon

This album does a great job at combining South African musical stylings with classic American pop to create some spectacular moments that you will be singing for days after you hear this album. The most infectious of these songs is the huge hit You Can Call Me Al which might be slightly over played today but it still holds up very well. However, the rest of side 2 that follows this song have not held up as well. Homeless and That Was Your Mother comes to mind when thinking of these weaker tracks with both of them feeling insignificant and not having enough quality to captivate me. Despite this, side 1 is a masterpiece from Paul Simon. The music is so full of character and depth which makes it so easy to get lost in this beautiful fusion he has created. The instrumentation is also fantastic for pretty much the whole release with Simon's diverse choices making this an interesting record even in the slower moments that come later on. Overall, if the record could maintain the quality and energy on the first half this would be amongst the best albums ever made but unfortunately this isn't accomplished.

Impressing fusion of western music with south african music makes of this album unique experience. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. It is also quite consistent in terms of quality and songwriting is top-notch.

Solid album

Bouncy, Bubbly, Beautiful

Lyrically, this album covers faith, love, loss (and lost love), race, celebrity, technology, and aging.

Musically, we hear rock, folk, jazz, blues, and traditional African influences.

In other words, I know of no record that better captures the modern American experience. A classic from the moment it was released.

From Jboy56 02/09/2022 08:38

A classic Simon, a reboot for his career, clearly

82.27

Hermosa fusión entre música occidental y un folk que viene desde Sudáfrica. Muy acertadas algunas canciones. Ninguna me ha parecido una obra maestra pero es de valorar lo de Paul Simon en este album. Algunas partes a capella le quedan interesantísimas y esa decisión de inmortalizar la cultura zulu en Graceland le ha quedado precioso. No es necesario que sea uno de tus discos favoritos, pero es uno que definitivamente tienes que escuchar al menos una vez en tu vida.

Gran disco de Simon, pero creo que en los 70 tiene algunos incluso mejores.

From indieshins 12/03/2021 00:24

I really need to listen to more Paul Simon, because everything I've heard from him, including his work with Garfunkel, has been stellar. This album freaking rules! It has a bit of that 80s sound, but unlike some music from that time, it's aged very well. The blending of American pop/rock/singer-songwriter sounds with believable South African elements is so beautifully done, and Paul also brings wonderful songcraft to bear here. I love the abstract lyrics that seem to deal more in the sound and feel of the words rather than their literal meaning. This thing is always a joy to listen to and a real pick-me-up when I'm feeling down in any way.

No me dice gran cosa. Disco con mucha influencia de música africana