“THAT LUCKY OLD SUN” BRIAN WILSON
WHY CARE?: Brian Wilson, the man behind the Beach Boys’ best material, continues his unlikely resurgence with another new album, out Tuesday.
TRIVIA: Wilson received a Kennedy Center Honor alongside Steve Martin, Martin Scorsese and Diana Ross in 2007.
HIGH POINTS: “Oxygen to the Brain,” a horn-sparkled song that shifts tempos as it urges people to “let yourself float, don’t carry that weight. Never destroy when you can create.” Also, “Going Home” comes off as a 1950s rocker.
FANS ALSO LIKE: The Beach Boys, lush harmonies, Southern California
ANDY SAYS: As did 2004’s “Smile,” “That Lucky Old Sun” plays out as an orchestral concept album. Songs bleed together. Loads of string, brass and choral arrangements anchor songs. But unlike “Smile,” this album doesn’t feel like it was cooked up decades ago in a druggie haze. While Wilson could have lost some of the hokey spoken-word narratives, which he co-wrote with “Smile” lyricist Van Dyke Parks, overall, fans will feel as lucky as that old sun.
GRADE: B-plus
Andy Rathbun arathbun@heraldnet.com
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