Carly Simon's First Album of New Songs in 18 Years: Review

In the 18 years since This Kind of Love, Carly Simon's last album of original songs, the singer-songwriter has only occasionally broken her silence, releasing a 2009 LP featuring acoustic versions of her best-known compositions, writing two memoirs and, in 2022, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

And, perhaps most significantly, weeks before the release of her 24th album, Comes in Waves, the 83-year-old Simon revealed she has been living with Parkinson’s disease for the past several years. Comes in Waves was conceived during this period — "Music has always known when to arrive," she wrote in a statement when announcing the Parkinson's — and it can't help but feel informed by her ailment.

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The title itself can be interpreted as both a reference to Simon's health issues (she also had knee and hip surgeries and a cancer diagnosis in recent years) and to the burst of creative inspiration behind these 12 mostly new songs. Comes in Waves is an album of reflection and a personal work from an artist perhaps nearing the end of her recording career. Throughout, she touches on familiar themes — love, loss, the ability to move on despite hardships — in a musical voice that's deftly evolved over the past half century.

In the opening track and lead single "Howl," Simon sings over a gently percolating melody, "Before you start acting polite, sayin' everything's all right / You gotta scream like a furious child." It's an understandable reaction to her current situation. But this is mostly an album about love ("Maybe I Never Loved You"), acceptance ("Love Has No Ending") and family memories ("Mother of Pearl"), delivered in the singer's characteristic warmth and compassion.

Watch the Official Lyric Video for Carly Simon's 'Howl'

Toward Comes in Waves' conclusion, Simon revisits "Share the End," a song that first appeared on her 1971 album Anticipation. Paul Samwell-Smith, the Yardbirds cofounder who produced the original version, returns to help Simon reshape the song into a modern parable about false kings and holding on to hope in trying times. It's an illuminating moment that underscores the durability of songs, much like Simon herself, who has adapted to change over the years. They're not about to give up.