Harper Simon
Tulsi/Vagrant Records
5 Stars

Even if listeners didn’t know in advance that Harper Simon is the son of Paul Simon and Peggy Harper, it’s almost impossible to miss that musical legacy coming through in his music. His eponymous first album is excellent with a mixture of wistfulness, joy and smarts all coming through on the tracks. While Simon’s musical tendencies seem to lean more towards country than his father’s folk-oriented style, the result is still fascinating, smart and easy to listen to. While there are those children of well-known actors and musicians who have become famous merely because they share the same genes as their noteworthy parent, Simon is one of those that fall into a different category. There is a good reason why people should notice him, his music is excellent and while some of his father’s interest and passion for music may have rubbed off, the talent is all his own.

The album begins with the haunting and lovely “All To God.” Unlike some of the songs that come later on the album, “All To God” falls more into the indie category than a country classification. However, that isn’t a criticism and the track is an intriguing way to begin. The melancholy tone and the unmistakable similarity between Simon’s voice and his father’s will suck listeners in and forces them to keep listening.

“Shooting Star” maintains some of that indie sound but incorporates more of the country feel that is found on a number of other tracks. Yet, even though that country “twang” is there, it manages to be a song that even listeners that aren’t fans of country will probably like. Much of this has to do with the immensely catchy chorus and while the sentiment isn’t completely new, the song just has that special something that makes it compelling.

About halfway through the album is where things make a clear shift from that indie sound present on “All To God” to a much heavier country influence. While “Shooting Star” plays a careful balancing act, “Tennessee” is all-out country and that might not exactly appeal to some listeners. However, Simon does manage to work in some humor to the song with lines like, “on my educational road to glory, I was kicked out of a school or two or maybe it was three, I got mostly incompletes but in math I bought a C,” and even if there is a distinct change taking place, the track is still well-written, humorous and has good sound.

“The Shine” is slows the overall tempo down a bit and returns to the somewhat sorrowful mood set in “All To God.” Simon’s vocals are gentle and soulful, fitting well with the feel of the track. The combination of guitars, keyboards and an easy drumbeat combine to make the song a good package. As much as one might try to avoid comparisons to Simon And Garfunkel when discussing Simon, when there are tracks like “Berkley Girl” on the album it is virtually impossible. Even if the lyrics include references to fancy cars like Karmann Ghias, the song is beautiful in its simplicity, sentiment and delicate harmonies.

Simon’s debut album is an impressive introduction to his solo work and well worth checking out. Sure, the comparisons are inevitable, but maybe what listeners should focus on is the musical legacy that Simon is continuing, since this is clearly not a case of riding on someone’s coattails. –EVELYN MISKA

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