Released: 1990
Tracks: The Obvious Child; Can’t Run But; The Coast; Proof; Further to Fly; She Moves On; Born at the Right Time; Cool, Cool River; Spirit Voices; Rhythm of the Saints
Best track: Cool, Cool River
Track to skip: Rhythm of the Saints
Rhythm of the Saints is Paul Simon’s follow-up to the hugely successful Graceland. Where Graceland was more explosive overall, Rhythm of the Saints is a much more understated album. Repeated listening reveals so much depth to the music, especially when listening with headphones. I absolutely love how beautifully mixed this album is. Everything is so subdued here. One of the things that really helps the album stand out is how percussion-heavy it is. It feels like every song has this significant, deep layer of percussion. There aren’t many, if any, tracks with traditional-sounding drums. Rhythmically, there are a lot of polyrhythms on many of these songs and that’s especially clear in my two favorite songs on the album, Can’t Run But and Cool, Cool River. Cool, Cool River is an excellent song and the high dose of polyrthythms reminds me of Talking Heads and King Crimson. It’s such an intriguing song and I love the transition into the mellow section, not to mention the part near the end of the tune when the horns come in. Those horns make me feel absolutely jubilant…I love it.
The first four songs are all stellar, well-sequenced and certainly well-written. Again, this is where the headphones (or a great stereo) come into play, and it’s so much fun to listen to. Further to Fly has some interesting bits, but I think it goes on too long, and when it continues on to She Moves On, I really lose interest. She Moves On isn’t quite skippable, but it’s not terribly exciting either. Those two songs are a ten-minute period of time that I end up glossing over. Thankfully Born at the Right Time, Cool, Cool River and Spirit Voices lift everything back up. As for the final track, that’s the only track that I actively don’t care for and it kind of ends the album on a weird note. It doesn’t feel like a proper END to the album.
Honestly, those two complains are minor. There’s so much great music to experience here that I only notice those “not so great” parts when I’m listening critically. Most of the time, I just get absorbed by the timbre of this album and enjoy the hell out of it. I certainly compare this album to Graceland because it is the follow-up, and Graceland is one of my favorite albums ever made. While the songs themselves are better on Graceland, what I love about Rhythm of the Saints is how Paul Simon truly steps away from “pop” song structures/rhythms and presents this magnificently detailed, yet subtle, enveloping album. It is challenging in a way, but the reward is significant. I’m always floored by how great the music is on this album.
Rating: 94
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