Paul Simon will wrap up the second leg of his “Homeward Bound” farewell tour in London this weekend, but his retirement tour isn’t without surprises. Today, he’s announced his 14th studio album, In the Blue Light, which features new renditions of classic cuts like “One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor”, “Can’t Run But”, and “Some Folks’ Lives Roll Easy”.
“This album consists of songs that I thought were almost right, or were odd enough to be overlooked the first time around,” Simon said in a statement. “Re-doing arrangements, harmonic structures, and lyrics that didn’t make their meaning clear, gave me time to clarify in my own head what I wanted to say, or realize what I was thinking and make it more easily understood.”
Accompanying Simon on the new arrangements are a number of jazz legends, including trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Drummer Steve Gadd, a longtime Simon collaborator, will also appear. It was produced by Simon and Roy Halee.
“It’s an unusual occurrence for an artist to have the opportunity to revisit earlier works and re-think them—to modify, even completely change parts of the originals,” he added. “I hope the listener will find these new versions of old songs refreshed, like a new coat of paint on the walls of an old family home.”
In the Blue Light arrives on September 7th, which coincides with the final leg of Simon’s farewell tour. See its artwork and tracklist below.
In the Blue Light Artwork:
In the Blue Light Tracklist:
01. One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor
02. Love
03. Can’t Run But
04. How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns
05. Pigs, Sheep and Wolves
06. René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War
07. The Teacher
08. Darling Lorraine
09. Some Folks’ Lives Roll Easy
10. Questions for the Angels
Paul Simon 2018 Tour Dates:
07/13 – Dublin, IE @ RDS Arena
07/15 – London, UK @ Hyde Park ^
09/05 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
09/07 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
09/08 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
09/11 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
09/12 – Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheatre
09/14 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
09/15 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
09/17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
09/20 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/21 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/22 – New York, NY @ Flushing Meadows Corona Park
^ = w/ James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt
