Stranger to Stranger [Orange Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]

by Paul Simon

Overview

"The Werewolf" opens Stranger to Stranger, Paul Simon's thirteenth solo studio album, with a heavy rhythmic thud -- bass, drums, and maracas lumbering along in a modified Bo Diddley beat not a far cry from the Who's "Slip Kid." Simon isn't looking to the past, though: he's writing toward an inevitable sunset, mindful of mortality -- just like he was on 2011's So Beautiful or So What -- but he's firmly grounded in a tumultuous present, embracing all the cut-and-paste contradictions endemic to the digital age. With the exception of a pair of hushed acoustic numbers and the expansive title track, all positioned to provide necessary pressure relief from the density of the rest of the record, Stranger to Stranger feels built from the rhythm up, a tactic familiar to Simon since 1986's Graceland. Unlike the easy gait of Graceland, the words here are clipped and rushed, sliding in with the bustle of the rhythm. It's not that the songs aren't melodic -- hooks arrive in snatches, sometimes forming through the rhythms themselves -- but the tracks are cloistered and colorful, accentuated by traces of gospel and doo wop; there's even an apparent "Love Is Strange" sample. Echoes of tradition existing within this modern framework are telling, underscoring how Simon is making music where the past is ever-present but not consuming: he's shifted his aesthetic to mirror his times, a tactic common in his solo career. In many ways, Stranger to Stranger is as bracing and ambitious as Surprise, his 2006 collaboration with producer Brian Eno -- this is especially true of its opening triptych, all created with Italian dance musician Clap! Clap! -- but the tenor of this album is different. Where the specter of 9/11 hung heavily over Surprise, Simon seems at peace on Stranger to Stranger, acknowledging the twilight yet not running toward it because there's so much to experience in the moment. He's choosing to push forward, not look back, and the results are invigorating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/03/2016
Label:	Barnes Noble Consign
UPC:	0888072002678

Tracks

1. The Werewolf
2. Wristband
3. The Clock
4. Street Angel
5. Stranger to Stranger
6. In a Parade
7. Proof of Love
8. In the Garden of Edie
9. The Riverbank
10. Cool Papa Bell
11. Insomniac¿¿¿s Lullaby

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul Simon   Primary Artist,Lute,Mbiri,Organ,Guitar,Vocals,Celeste,Autoharp,Harmonica,Harmonium,Percussion,Alarm Clock,Chromelodeon,Glockenspiel,Bass Harmonica,Hi String Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Guitar (12 String Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Dion   Primary Artist
Sergio Mendes   Clapping,Percussion
Andy Snitzer   Saxophone,Vocals (Background)
Bakithi Kumalo   Bass,Double Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)
Bobby Allende   Congas
Jack DeJohnette   Drums
Carlos Henriquez   Bass,Double Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Acoustic)
Vincent Nguini   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Nico Muhly   Bells,Celeste,Orchestra Bells
Jamey Haddad   Brushes,Hadgini,Clapping,Percussion,Tambourine
Alan Ferber   Trombone
Nino De Los Reyes   Snaps,Clapping,Percussion
Katie Kresek   Viola,Clapping,Percussion
Marcus Rojas   Tuba
Paul Halley   Organ,Pipe Organ
Bobby McFerrin   Vocals (Background)
Nelson Gonzalez   Tres,Guitar,Maracas
Golden Gate Quartet   Vocals (Background)
Wycliffe Gordon   Trombone
Mark Stewart   Mbiri,Didjeridu,Percussion
Mick Rossi   Harmonium,Glockenspiel,Fender Rhodes
Dean Drummond   Marimba,Percussion,Zoomoozophone
CJ Camerieri   Horn,Trumpet,French Horn,Guitar Synth (Horns)
Alexandra Sopp   Flute
Dave Eggar   Cello
Jim Oblon   Drums,Percussion,Drum Machine,Drums (Electric)
Steve Marion   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Steel)
David Broome   Organ,Chromelodeon
Sergio Martinez   Snaps,Clapping,Percussion
Jared Soldiviero   Bells,Marimba,Harmonic Canon,Cloud Chamber Bowls
Keith Montie   Vocals (Background)
Oscar De Los Reyes   Snaps,Clapping,Percussion
Cristiano Crisci   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Paul Simon   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Liner Notes
Andy Smith   Engineer
Scott "Top Ten" Kempner   Composer
Dion DiMucci   Composer
Gil Goldstein   String Arrangements
Greg Calbi   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Nico Muhly   Flute Arrangement,Horn Arrangements
Roy Halee   Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Golden Gate Quartet   Vocal Samples
Geoff Gans   Design,Art Direction
Chuck Close   Cover Image
Don Hunstein   Photography
Mike Aquilina   Composer
Steven N. Severinghaus   Photography
Kerry Ryan McFate   Photography
Mark Chiarello   Artwork