Shining Like a National Guitar 5 out of 5 Stars
Paul Simon needed a comeback in 1986 for a number of reasons. His marraige to actress Carrie Fischer had come apart. His last album, the wonderful "Hearts and Bones," was not met well commercially. An attempt at reconnecting with Art Garfunkel had also come undone for the usual animosities. So he travelled to South Africa to visit the musicians he had been studying for a few years.
The result was "Graceland." In his quest to rejuvenate his musical spirit, Simon connected with a host of well known African musicians who pushed him into writing music that lifted his creative muse to a new peak. In addition to introducing American to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Simon brought Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, The Everly Brothers, Youssou N'Dour and Adrian Belew on board to his unconventional brew. Simon found the music he encountered so intriguing that he married his lyrics to most of the tracks (making songs like "Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes" and "Homeless" into mini-masterpieces).
Simon's newfound joy in creation made for some of the more whimsical moments, like "You Can Call Me Al" (and the accompanying video with Chevy Chase) and "The Myth Of Fingerprints," in his solo career. The songs blended together as a cohesive whole, without a filler track to be found, and deserving of the slew of Grammys Simon picked up in its wake.
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