Graceland

In the past Paul Simon has successfully drawn on diverse American musical traditions and has worked with, among others, the gospel group the Jesse Dixon singers and the South American folk-group Urubamba.

On this latest album he again takes a musical trek across the U.S., using Los Lobos as a backing band on one track, and a Cajun band from Louisiana on another. Los Lobos clock in with their customary energy on ‘All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints’, while on ‘That Was Your Mother’ Good Rockin Dopsie and The Twisters combine scorchy sax, grazing accordion and jerky drumming in a Cajun sound that’s hot as paprika.

For the most part though, Graceland sees Simon switching continents and taking his songs much further afield to South Africa, where he dips them in a spicy mixture known as “Township Jive”. Our newsreel vision of the townships is one of poverty, and oppression, and it comes as a heartening surprise to discover that along with the dust and corrugated iron and police brutality there exists what Simon himself describes as this “very up, very happy music” – a mixture of early rock’n’roll and African Traditional music. He fell in love with it after hearing a compilation cassette by chance and travelled to Johannesburg where much of Graceland was recorded, with the backing of several different groups.

Anyone expecting the album to offer a direct political statement will be disappointed however, as this is strictly a musical collaboration. Some of the musicians had a hand in writing the songs and the effect is to give a tantalising taste of this strange hybrid of first and third world cultures. Particularly impressive are guitarist Ray Phiri, Bassist Baghiti Khumalo and drummer Isaac Mtshali who provide a strong, varied and energetic base for Simon’s airy melodies.

The vocals too, throughout the album, are excellent, from ‘Homeless’, which is sung in English and Zulu with acapella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo to ‘I Know What I Know’ with General M.D. Shirinda and The Gaza Sisters, whose massed voices are as big as the ocean. Equally Linda Ronstadt’s harmony vocal on ‘Under African Skies’ shows that her crystal voice can still raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

In view of all this it’s a pity that Simon didn’t come up with a strong batch of songs. The lyrics are mainly typical picture postcards of journeys through the U.S. (the title track) or stills of New York affluent angst (‘Gumboots’), and despite the guest musicians, the album doesn’t really break any new ground lyrically.

Nonetheless“Graceland is strong enough to please fans, as well as offering eloquent musical proof that Soweto has not been silenced by suffering.