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You're the One - Paul Simon
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    No one weds the conversational and cosmological -- or acoustic pop and ethnological studies -- quite so gracefully.
  2. Mojo
    90
    Paul Simon still has it.
  3. Wall of Sound
    86
    The stripped-down arrangements and meditative flavor of the songs bring to mind such uncluttered efforts as 1983's Hearts and Bones or even Simon's 1972 solo debut.
  4. Sonicnet
    80
    I readily admit I was confused by its unusual instrumental combinations, by the turn-on-a-dime melodies and rhythms, and the "still searching after all these years" lyrics -- by its relentless eclecticism. Still, I kept listening, and at the end of the day found myself having trouble escaping these meandering, insinuating songs.
  5. All Music Guide
    80
    With You're the One, Paul Simon is back on track, writing and recording timeless music that keeps him on par with Neil Young and David Bowie, but in his comforting familiar way.
  6. Q Magazine
    80
    Rhythms skip and play seemingly without touching earth... These are manifestly the labours of a man still with something to say. [Nov 2000, p.109]
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  7. Rolling Stone
    80
    "Somewhere in a burst of glory/Sound becomes a song/I'm bound to tell a story/That's where I belong," Simon sings on the new album's opening track, and the comfort and command he displays throughout You're the One demonstrate that he's right.
  8. Dot Music
    70
    But its modesty is its weakness. For the last 15 years, Simon has been rejuvenating himself with challenges, with awkward collaborations and unusual idioms, testing and experimenting with his talent. With this collection of gentle, wry ballads and witty, shuffly songs he is, nearly, just coasting on it. Not that this makes 'You're The One' a bad album. It just makes it an ominous one.
  9. Checkout.com
    60
    On his new album, You're the One, the singer's lyrics are masterful as ever, but their emotional punch is compromised considerably by syrupy melodies and uninspired production.
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  10. CDNow
    60
    Simon aims his melodies outside the box this time around, incorporating world-beat rhythms and working his sublimely dour mood to best advantage.
  11. Village Voice
    50
    So You're the One, like all of Simon's work since Graceland, has to be judged a failure.... Image be damned, but pop doesn't just flow out of groove and penmanship.
  12. The A.V. Club
    40
    Though not exactly a bad album, when contrasted to the remarkable Graceland and Rhythm Of The Saints, it sounds as arbitrary as a collection of B-sides.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Ravenous
    9
    A very good album. So it isn't quite the masterpiece that Rhythm of the Saints and Graceland were, but it is still pretty remarkable, especially as it represents an unprecedented fifth decade of great music from one of America's most talented artistic geniuses. To put it into context, I can't think of any other musician who has ever managed more than three decades of great work.… Full Review »
  2. MartinR
    10
    How can you get belly laughs out of wicked social criticism? "Pig, Sheep and Wolves" will show you. Looking for love? Try "Darling Lorraine" and "You're the One" for loves lost from two sides of the coin. This is brilliant stuff.… Full Review »
  3. JohnL
    8
    I'm giving it an "8", but it could be an "9"...It is a step up from "The Capeman", which was his least rewarding solo work on every level. I could almost consider a 9 because he is probably as great a lyricist as this is, or ever has been, and it still shows here, despite amore subdued feel overall. Excluding The Capeman's self limiting concept, Paul Simon's works have grown to be more and more Spiritual since the mid-80's (not that he wasn't so before, just moreso after then), and it really works to his advantage here, as the songsmithing and depth of subject help to invigorate what is a more laid back work sonically speaking. Musically is feels a bit like "One Trick Pony"; which itself feels like a little bit lesser of a version of "Still Crazy After All These Years". Feeling wise it falls in with those two works. Hurricane Eye and Old are my favorites, and it has some beautiful moments, but it certainly isn't as jaw dropping as his most impressive works...like "Suprise" for example...which is a "10" for me.… Full Review »
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