PAUL Simon is deservedly rated as one of the finest songwriters of all time. Where others struggle with difficult second albums, he consistently delivers the goods and this, his 12th solo album, is up there with his best.

It’s remarkable to think that Simon still has masterpieces running round his head, but Love Is Eternal Sacred Light is as good as anything he has written. It pumps along in 2/4 time and also shows how great a guitarist he is. Love And Hard Times, on the other hand, is an astonishing story where “God and his Son paid a courtesy call on earth” and couldn’t agree who is worthy of salvation.

There is the trademark mix of ballads and upbeat off-centre tempos, but here Simon has revisited his early solo years and many of the songs would fit well on Still Crazy After All These Years. This often joyful, sometimes reflective, album reminds us that Paul Simon still towers above the rest – even after all these years.