Everything Waits to Be Noticed
Though he managed a string of early successes, Art's post-Simon & Garfunkelcareer has been marked by sporadic releases and a seeming indifference to the often-difficult vagaries of the music business. It's that bleak background that makes this release such a warm and pleasant surprise. Garfunkel seems an artist who responds best to the challenges of creative collaboration, and producer Billy Mann has provided him with a sterling pair--singersMaia Sharpand Buddy Mondlock, of L.A. and Nashville, respectively. With the trio's harmonies locking into a familiar, seamless fusion, the resulting album is the freshest music Garfunkel's recorded in years and, conversely, from the opening guitar chords of the joyous "Bounce," a welcome reclaiming of a glorious musical legacy that was rightfully half his in the first place. The ghost of that legendary past doesn't so much haunt this record as breathe a resonant sense of place (New York City) and history (Art's life) into it. Also noteworthy are six songs that mark the singer's first recorded attempts at songwriting, the best of which stand comparison with the best of his fabled S&G; canon.--Jerry McCulley