Paul Simon Might Be Coming Out Of Retirement

Paul Simon Might Be Coming Out Of Retirement | Society Of Rock Videos

via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert / Youtube

Last July, Paul Simon made a surprise guest appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and fans are wondering if he’s returning to music for good.

According to Spin magazine, the singer is currently in sessions at New York’s Reservoir Studios for a new album with a tentative title, The Seven Psalms, but no released date has been announced.

In an interview with Malcolm Gladwell for the Miracle and Wonder audiobook series, Simon revealed that a dream helped him rediscover his muse.

He’s talking about Barbara Fasano, a New York City cabaret singer, who confirmed Simon’s presence as she was also recording at the same studio. She was all set to cover “Old Friends” from Simon and Garfunkel’s 1968 studio album Bookends, when she runs into him in the studio’s communal kitchen. Fasano says in a Facebook post:

“I introduced myself and said I was sorry to interrupt, but we were actually about to record his song.

“His face lit up and he was on his feet, walking into our studio.”

Fasano described the moment as “crazy surreal.” She said Simon pulled out “the same guitar he’s been playing on his solo records for 50 years, while I sang along.” He “coached us on voicings and instrumentation.” After that, the two hung out for nearly an hour and before Simon return to his own work, she added:

“And then we laid down ‘Old Friends,’ now sprinkled with pixie dust by this American icon.”

Previously, Simon already announced his retirement from both recording and tours. His final album with original materials was 2016’s No. 3 hit Stranger to Stranger. Then in 2018, he returned to some of his older material which was featured on In the Blue Light. Simon told Gladwell:

“After I finished the album Stranger to Stranger, it was like, literally a click that said, ‘I’m done. I think I’m done.

“I think I can do it just as well, but it takes me three years typically to make these kinds of albums. And since I don’t think I can make an album any better than I’m making it now, I think I’d rather spend my three years traveling.”

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