Seven Psalms

Seven Psalms represents a significant stylistic pivot for Paul Simon, arriving seven years after his last album of original material. Conceived following a dream, the album is structured as a single continuous piece intended to be heard in its entirety, eschewing the track-based format of modern streaming. Sonically, it is his most minimal work, featuring almost exclusively acoustic guitar and voice, with subtle contributions from Wynton Marsalis and the VOCES8 vocal ensemble. The album serves as a theological and existential inquiry, moving away from the 'worldbeat' textures of Graceland or the electronic experimentation of Stranger to Stranger. Critics from The New York Times and AllMusic noted its 'late-style' austerity, comparing it to the final works of Leonard Cohen or David Bowie, though Simon’s approach is more folk-oriented and harmonically complex. It stands as a quiet, definitive coda to one of the most celebrated catalogs in American music.