Paul Simon is preparing to follow-up 2018’s rarities collection In the Blue Light with a continuous seven-song musical suite entitled Seven Psalms. Intended to be listened to in its entirety, the 33-minute, seven-movement all-acoustic composition is slated for release on May 19.
According to a release, it is predominantly performed by Simon and it captures the legendary pop singer/songwriter’s “craft at its finest and most captivating, simply with his voice and guitar.”
In a preview trailer, Simon, 81, explains that in Jan. 2019 he had a dream that told him he was working on a piece called Seven Psalms. “The dream was so strong that I got up and I wrote it down, but I had no idea what that meant,” he says over gently picked acoustic guitars. “Gradually, information would come,” he adds, noting that he began waking up between 3:30 and 5 a.m. “and words would come. I’d write ’em down and start to put it together.”
The album is described as, “a stunning, intricately layered work” that establishes “an engaging and meditative, almost hymnal soundscape, with Paul’s lyrics providing the gravitational center for constellations of sound woven from guitar strings and other acoustic instrumentation.” In a nod to the origin of psalms — which the release notes were originally hymns meant to be sung rather than spoken — Seven Psalms represents a call-back to the genesis of folk music in King David’s Psalms.
Among the guests are the British vocal ensemble VOCES8 and Simon’s wife, singer Edie Brickell, who is seen in the video singing alongside the folk icon, holding hands as they harmonize. The album was produced by Simon and Kyle Crusham.
“People say, ‘why is it that you always want to change your sound?,’” Simon says of questions he gets about his restless musical heart. “I’m not thinking that way at all. I’m looking for the edge of what you can hear. I can just about hear it but I can’t quite. That’s the thing I want.”
See the Seven Psalms tracklist and watch the preview trailer below.
Seven Psalms track list:
1. “The Lord”
2. “Love Is Like A Braid”
3. “My Professional Opinion”
4. “Your Forgiveness”
5. “Trail of Volcanoes”
6. “The Sacred Harp”
7. “Wait”
