Texas Platters

The Heavy Circles

Songwriter and composer Harper Simon, son of Paul, and stepmom Edie Brickell (only six years his senior) collaborate on a project that's both ambitious and listenable. While it's tempting to screech, "Nepotism!" it would be neither accurate nor fair to do so; this is totally Simon's ball game. Simon's first smart move is taking Brickell's voice out of the hippy-dippy context with which we're all familiar and building complex instrumental tracks of various stylistic stripes that feature a distinguished cast of supporting musicians, including Sean Lennon. Brickell glides from dark and menacing ("Henri") to jaunty ("Better") and wistful ("Confused") with ease. Simon also triumphs musically, embracing diversity: "Dynamite Child" convulses with punk energy, followed by the glimmering "Oh Darling," which wraps with a swelling guitar bedazzled with electronics. The Heavy Circles heralds the entry of a fine young artist with an impeccable pedigree.