I can't believe my favorite album of 2011 so far was put out by a 69 year old. There's a couple songs on this album that I'm not huge on, but overall this is Simon's most solid record since Graceland. If you're a Paul Simon fan you won't be disappointed with So Beautiful or So What. If you're a fan of good music, you won't be either.

I'm blown away. I loved the last album, "Surprise", and was concerned as to how he'd possibly follow it up. I needn't have worried. This is equally as stunning in a different manner. It's an album that is as subtle as is it is sublime. I'm going to be catching him live, two nights in a row & I hope we get to hear lots of songs from this album. I doubt I'll hear anything as stunning this year, if not this decade.… Expand

Gotta say, I was seriously disappointed by this album. It seems Paul has become more of a poet than a singer. The only song in "So Beautiful or So What" that was even remotely catchy was "Getting Ready for Christmas." The rest just seemed like poems set to dreadfully boring musical accompaniments. I know this sounds very harsh, but this album is laughable compared to the masterpiece that was "Graceland" (my favorite record of all time.) You could actually sing along to the tracks in "Graceland". Not so in SBOSW. The only thing this album is good for is for putting you to sleep.… Expand

Beautiful, understated, fun, lovable, and a true return to Graceland form. God Paul Simon really reminded me how much of a musical genius he is. This album is imminently repeatable and will go down as one of the best Paul Simon records.

After the slight detour of 'Surprise', 'So beautiful' returns to core late Paul Simon sounds - bluesy-folky shuffles with tasteful African/Indian/South American elements incorporated. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a man in his 70s there's a lot of pondering on death and the state of the world, but - belying the negative user review - it's done to some of his best melodies in the past thirty years. You would have to go back to 'Hearts and Bones' to find as good a group of songs (Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints are great albums, but it's the grace, style and groove that really sells them, rather than the songs). Like other reviewers, I thought 'Surprise' was a critically and popularly underrated triumph, but I think that this is better still..... It seems to be Paul Simon's fate to never quite gather the critical garlands of his peers (Dylan, Lennon etc.), but the consistent quality and innovation of his work over the past 40+ years takes some beating... And this is another example. To my ear, in its style and preoccupations it has a bit of the feel of Dylan's 'Oh Mercy', if that hadn't been so overwhelmed by Daniel Lanois' production. 'Oh Mercy' is an album I often return to even after twenty years and I think I'll be doing the same with this one as well.… Expand

Paul Simon's latest album is a surprise hit, no question about it. Not only is it his best creative effort in decades (if not, some of his most creative works in his vast discography), it proves that after being in the music industry for over 40 years, he still remains a highly relevant musician and song-writer in this day and age.

Dealing with reflections over life, â

As I've gotten older, I've often wondered what would happen to the surviving icons of my youth, which happily coincided one of the greatest explosions of creativity in the history of music, the Dylan- and Beatles-led pop/rock revolution of the 60's. Would they become nostalgia acts, like the doo-wop package tours that hit amusement parks and beachside venues every summer? Would they becoming little more than diligent miners of their youth, continually re-working their old songs in modestly different styles: orchestral, acoustic, etc.? Some of his contemporaries have followed these paths, but if any see fit to emulate Paul Simon, now pushing 70 yet still creating music as vital and urgent as the work of his 20s and 30s, then we can still look forward to many wonderful things from his fellow aging Boomers.

Simon's latest offering, typically long-in-the-making, does not stray far from his time-tested formula of gentle folk-rock spiced with influences from a global and ever-wider circle of musical influences. At his worst, Simon's songs can seem lazy and inconsequential, but at his best, as on every track of this new album, the music flows with effortless grace and the lyrics are full of wry wisdom. This is Simon's must sorrowful album, suffused with references to death, war, god, and the regrets, common to all human beings, that gather around personal failures. At the same time, there is a sense of peaceful (yet hard-won) acceptance of life's limitations ("It seems like our fate / To suffer and wait / For the knowledge that we seek"), while quietly savoring the sweet moments with good humor.

In short, "So Beautiful Or So What" is the confident, contemplative work of an old master who has not become deaf to his muses, but is instead still using his art to make sense of the world and his own life. It is a great gift to anyone with ears to listen. May Simon continue to share his extraordinary musical talent and philosophical insights with us for many years to come, before he has to "stand in that line / Just to glimpse the Divine ..."… Expand