Brian Wilson
That Lucky Old Sun

As a big fan of the Beach Boys and "SMiLE", perhaps I got carried away with enthusiasm when buying this album somewhat blindly. After all, the release of a new album by Brian Wilson, one of the greatest composers of the last 50 years of pop, is always an event. Unfortunately, I had to realize, once I received and listened to the album, that perhaps his genius belongs to the past, as one might expect from a great musician in his sixties.

The truth is that the album is extremely well-made - could it be any other way coming from a perfectionist like Mr. Wilson? - with impeccable arrangements, finely crafted string and brass sections and vocal harmonies, but to me, it seems little more than a beautiful nostalgic album that celebrates the past rather than engaging with the present. It is nothing less than a concept dedicated to celebrating the beauty of California, specifically Los Angeles. The songs are connected, both conceptually and musically, with a theme - the title song - that reappears in various forms: "That Lucky Old Sun" is actually the title of an old song penned by Gillespie and performed, in one of its most popular versions, by Louis Armstrong. And it's precisely this version that inspired the former leader of the Beach Boys.

The album, which marks Brian Wilson's return to Capitol Records after more than forty years, contains Beach Boys-style songs written by Wilson himself. Between one song and another, there are interludes of spoken pieces, actual poems written by Van Dike Parks, the great lyricist of "SMiLE". At this point, my question is: why not have him write the lyrics for the songs as well instead of inserting the rather banal texts of this work?

Another weak point of this LP is definitely the very aged voice of the singer, which adds an extra layer of melancholy, making it feel like a work born outside of its time. The genius of "SMiLE" is far removed from "That Lucky Old Sun", and paradoxically, that album which should have seen the light more than forty years ago sounds more innovative and modern than this one.

As for the "packaging", it is well done, as befits an operation of this caliber: a full booklet and, for a few more euros, a DVD with half an hour - they really went all out! - of behind the scenes and "live" performances, which in my opinion are not live at all.

In conclusion, it is a pleasant album, but I would only recommend it to nostalgic listeners who, like me, periodically revisit the old Beach Boys albums. For those who are about to discover the genius of this man for the first time, I suggest not wasting time with this stuff and instead turning to "SMiLE" or "Pet Sounds".