If all you knew about Pat Metheny’s music hinged on the perfunctory details of its genre (jazz, for the most part) and the artist’s instrument of choice (guitar, for the most part), listening to his latest offering, What’s It All About (Nonesuch Records), provides fundamental context to his craftsmanship if not a sweeping representation of his craft.
Known primarily for his proficiency and experiments on the electric guitar, Metheny scales down to an acoustic, solo setting on this album, its title coming from the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic, “Alfie,” just one of ten pop standards he interprets on this all-covers project.
The music in general assumes a rather somber, evocative dimension, which Metheny complements with intricate, often Flamenco-styled picking. Such subtlety allows him to take generous liberties along the way, magnifying familiar moments of songs (the opening notes of The Stylistics’ “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” the vocal progression in Carly Simon’s “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”) rather than indulging more-literal translations.
Other standouts include a lovely rendering of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” and The Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays,” which Metheny draws out into a melancholy, near-desolate meditation.
And so if all you knew about Pat Metheny was just the basics, listening to him play on What’s It All About affords more than enough incentive to explore his catalog further. For those already familiar with his work, though, this should come as no surprise.
A good song can withstand time, trends, and interpretation by artists other than the original. And, as Carly Simon demonstrates on her latest album (marking her debut on Iris Records), Never Been Gone, reinterpreting one’s own compositions can prove rewarding as well.
In a casual, mostly acoustic setting of guitars and assorted strings, Simon covers ten selections from her songbook—most of them instantly recognizable hits, the rest of them devoted-fan favorites—as well as two new tracks. The laid-back vibe is further underscored by the close-knit roster of musicians who appear alongside Simon, most notably her son and daughter, Ben and Sally Taylor.
Throughout, Simon comes across as a seasoned storyteller, evoking an air of wistful reflection even through some of her most pensive moments from the past. As with "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be," and "Anticipation," she melds tempered arrangements to her cathartic introspections, resulting in her sounding less burdened (or at least less emotionally immersed) than when she was actively pondering their circumstances.
Simon delivers other highlights in "It Happens Every Day" and "Coming Around Again," rendering both narratives with particularly warm and inviting vocals. She plays "You're So Vain" and (despite her revising it from piano to guitar) "The Right Thing To Do" fairly close to the vest, but she commits as much to these performances as on the deeper album cuts.
Of the two new tracks, it's a toss-up. With its ballistic drums and pseudo-reggae aggression, “No Freedom” is just ill-suited to this collection's modest, hospitable tone. “Songbird,” which closes out the album, fares substantially better, its piano-and-strings progression making for an evocative coda.
All in all, Never Been Gone works best as a reminiscent set for longtime fans rather than as a concerted effort to make new ones. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In a career as extensive and fruitful as Simon’s, there’s certainly much for fans to appreciate.
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