Letters Never Sent

Love is thoroughlly investigated in several stages: starry-eyed infatuation is explored on the sultry blues number "Lost in Your Love," the delicious, slightly-country "I'd Rather it Was You," and the gorgeous, acoustic "Davy." Then there's the nervous insecurities behind early passion on the gently rocking "The Reason," mature resignation to the fact that a relationship is far from perfect on "Born to Break My Heart," and even the alienated feelings of being unceremoniously dumped; the down-home blues of "Halfway 'Round the World" has Simon cleverly claiming that her estranged lover's passionate anger towards her is passion nonetheless..."I believe it's some kind of compliment/I must be quite a girl." On all of these songs Simon's voice is in top form (especially during the impressively soulful belting on "Lost in Your Love") and her arranging skills have never been tighter. "Private," an ode to keeping a relationship discreet, boasts sexy lyrics ("can you be private when the juice is sweet?") and some of Carly's jazziest, most unique chord structures.

The albums finest moments, however, are "Like a River" and "Touched by the Sun." To say these songs are moving doesn't begin to explain their emotional impact. "Like a River" is a touching ode to her deceased mother; the lyrics here are so open and vulnerable it's impossible not to feel Simon's loss. "Touched by the Sun" is a tribute to Jacqueline Onassis (at least for starters), and is a powerful statement. Besides its musical force and soaring vocals, the lyrics of admiration for those who followed their dreams and achieved their goals ten-fold is an inspiring lyric for anyone's life. These two songs are among Simon's best work ever.

The only real problem on the record (in addition to some quirky interludes that occasionally stall the flow of the project) is the title track; Carly apparently wanted to set the pace for the record, and while she accurately sums up the inspiration, the song's anticlimatic chorus was born without a hook. A better idea would have been to strum the chord progression on an acoustic guitar and briefly talk (not sing) about finding the letters and wanting to write about them, and let that serve as an intro instead of the eighteen-second violin opener that stops just as soon as you fall into it.

But problems like that make for petty complaints...sort of like getting a great letter in a creased envelope. "Letters Never Sent" is a remarkably touching work, one that stands up to the standards that Carly Simon's intimate, vulnerable, and touching work over the years has led us to expect.