Carly Simon Has Never Been Gone

What more needs to be said about Carly Simon that hasn't already been said. She's probably one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of the last 40 years and has a career that's still going strong. It's hard to get over the fact that she's been making music for four decades and still has success. As if to prove a point, Carly Simon has recently released Never Been Gone which is as much a statement of intent as it her latest record.

With the idea for doing this record coming from her son, Never Been Gone revisits songs originally written over the course of Carly Simon's career and consists of acoustic versions of those tunes as well as two new tracks. Just about everybody and their mother knows Carly's big hits but it's still interesting to hear her take those classics in new directions. Amazingly, despite their age, the songs still sound pretty fresh and I don't think, "You're So Vain," has aged one bit. It might be hard to believe, but the girl's still got it and Never Been Gone shows that repeatedly.

With a host of musicians and friends from near and far, long and short helping her out with not only the production but the instrumentation it almost sounds as if Never Been Gonewas more like a family reunion than a studio session. As a result of this, the recording seems relaxed and spirited and almost as if many of these songs were recorded for the first time. As for two of the songs, "No Freedom," and "Songbird," they were, and not surprisingly, they sound like a group effort with a modern twist. Whether it be a slow piano song ("Songbird") or the adult alternative of "No Freedom," it's just cool to hear Carly writing songs that truly are fresh.

Impressive to say the least, Never Been Goneis a nice addition to the Carly Simon lexicon and a worthy purchase. Incidentally, a portion of the proceeds from this record will go to the Carly Simon Music Therapy Initiative; a collaboration between Carly and Berklee College of Music that brings the healing power of music into the community at large.