The sheer depth and breadth of Art Garfunkel’s career is substantial, and this compilation acts as a starting point for those that are too young or were otherwise unable to pick up Garfunkel’s music up to this point. Eir largest hits – Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Sound of Silence – are presented alongside lesser-known tracks. I find that the later registers of the disc – the first disc contains The Thread and Barbara, while the second one presents listeners with April Come She and A Heart in New York – provide further fleshing out of the aforementioned weight of Garfunkel’s body of songs.
I feel that Sony Legacy has cleaned up some of the older tracks, providing listeners with new Garfunkel experiences. The entirety of the package paints a solid portrait, and the presence of Garfunkel’s poetry seems like something that only could be present in a boxed set or similar money sink.
Sony Legacy has a great release on their hands for this reason; the $14-ish album simply provides listeners with a better package than any other reissue house could. Make sure to check the Sony Legacy website for a slate of the company’s releases through the end of the year and into 2012. If they are as solid of a release as The Singer, there is no reason why individuals should not gift these for birthdays and holidays.
Top Tracks: Bridge Over Troubled Water, So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
Rating: 8.3/10
Art Garfunkel – The Singer (CD) / 2012 Sony Legacy / 34 Tracks / http://www.artgarfunkel.com / http://www.sonylegacy.com