Kat's Korner: Carly Simon's COMES IN WAVES is a gift

Kat:  Carly Simon's last studio album of new material was in 2008, THIS KIND OF LOVE.   In 2009, she released and recorded NEVER BEEN GONE -- a reimaging of some of her biggest hits ("You're So Vain," "Coming Around Again," "Let The River Run," "Anticipation," "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "You Belong To Me") along with some beloved songs that were never singles (and two rescued from the past).  In 2015, with the publication of her memoir BOYS IN THE TREES, she released a double disc set entitled SONGS FROM THE TREES -- a career spanning retrospective.  2023 saw Carly release two albums.  LIVE AT GRAND CENTRAL was the first time on vinyl, streaming and compact disc for her 1995 LIFETIME special.  It was a strong set -- a very strong set -- with "Jessse" and other hits and her reworking of "We Have No Secrets" made the album worthy all by themselves.  2023 also saw the release of THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS: THE CARLY SIMON AND JAC HOLZAN STORY -- a collection of songs from Carly's first three ELEKTRA albums and selected by Jac who was president of ELEKTRA.  

Carly fans like myself were left longing for new songs.  

We knew Carly had planned THIS KIND OF LOVE to be her swan song.  And then that label went under and screwed her over.  

But then a month ago came the news of Parkinson's and of a new album.  The new album, COMES IN WAVES, dropped last Friday.  

Where has Carly been?

That's the question, that's the lament as you listen to the new album and realize just how much you've missed her and how badly music has needed her over the last few years.

She's here now.  

With an amazing album.  

And writing the songs that really began in 1986 with "Coming Around Again" and the 1987 album that followed.  Carly's writing has gone its own way.  She was always an outstanding songwriter.  But what she's done for the last decades is to follow her own muse and that's really the case on COMES IN WAVES.

It sounds like Carly.  But it sounds like the Carly who's been exploring arrangements and meters for the last decades and she's come up with an album where she's comfortable and so is the listener.  

And I'm reminded of what happened by the time of her brilliant BEDROOM TAPES -- she was recording primarily in her at home, makeshift studio.  And that allowed her to grow even more.

This new album was recorded in the same manner and it's very effective and seems to have both a freeing quality for Carly as well as being a huge source of fresh inspiration for her as well.

COMES IN WAVES is twelve tracks of amazing songs.  Songs that expand on composition and on production.  

Everything is broken down
I'm losing my sense of direction
And I can't face another cold heart
Or any more rejection

So what are those words of wisdom that went in and out my head?
What are those words of wisdom that my mama said?

If you think you can't face the day
If you're sure you can't win the game
If swear you can't find a way
Do it anyway, anyway

Do it anyway
Already knows it
Do it anyway
Your heart already knows it

"Do It Anyway" is a song Carly wrote for this album that sounds the most like a hit.  Even so, it sounds like so much more than a hit.  With COMING AROUND AGAIN, Carly acquired a maturity that her male peers (including an ex-husband) lacked.  They were still singing songs of their first love and posing as James Dean (ridiculous as they were in their 40s and 50s) while Carly was bringing context and maturity into her song cycles.  It's there in "Howl" as well, the album's first single.  It runs throughout the album. 

"Love Has No Ending" finds Carly turning W.H. Auden's "As I Walked Out One Evening" into lyrics for a composition she wrote -- one that fits perfectly with the lyrics.  She's in a reflective mood.  "Mother of Pearl" makes that clear (a song about daughter Sally).  And it's all reflection and examination.  She sings with confidence and grace.  "The Father Daughter Dance" is a song of remembering and acknowledging.  

Carly's writing on such a spiritual level on this album.  She's showing and feeling wonder and that's so amazing when you grasp how stuck in formula and how hardened by success so many music artists become.  

This a gorgeous album filled with riches and one that I'll discover and enjoy more with each listen.  

It's a gift.  Carly's opened herself up in such a loving and moving way that she's created one of the finest albums of her career and of the year.   COMES IN WAVES is a must listen and my only complaint would be it's not (yet) available on vinyl.