Just barely topping the 30-minute mark,
Harper Simon's debut LP gives a quick, breezy look at the songwriting skills of
Paul Simon's oldest son.
Harper, who previously cut his teeth in the cabaret-punk outfit Menlo Park, switches gears for this solo outing, which emphasizes lush arrangements and folksy melodies over Menlo Park's noisy stomp. Of course, the new style also highlights the influence of
Harper's father, whose timbre and phrasing are channeled throughout. With its finger-plucked guitar riffs and vocal harmonies, "Berkeley Girl" recalls vintage
Simon & Garfunkel, while songs like "The Shine" and "The Audit" feature the same lush, rainy-day folk trappings that his dad helped popularize several decades prior. ~ Andrew Leahey