Embracing a “world” sensibility as Simon has during his solo career is the kind of play that can fall flat on its face badly if done wrong. SBOSW doesn’t set out on another exotic journey so much as recapitulate some of the fabrics Simon has woven into his own brand of neurotic genius. That said, I wasn’t expecting the opener to sample a gospel sermon and do it really well, or the Jay-Z reference. Still got it.
