That Lucky Old Sun

After thirty-seven years, Brian Wilson completed Smile as a newly recorded solo album in 2004, and the acclaimed performances that accompanied it seemed to lift a longstanding burden. His renewed creative energy led to this semi-autobiographical suite set in Southern California. First presented in London, it was then recorded in the studio while the momentum of those performances was still alive.

Scott Bennett, a collaborator with whom Wilson had a particularly close musical rapport, serves as co-producer. Spoken passages written by Van Dyke Parks thread through the work, whose related episodes unfold with the ease of a flowing breeze. Some devoted admirers may find the results too comfortable, but that comfort is part of the achievement.

There is much to enjoy in hearing this extraordinary imagination gathered into the brightness of a pop record. Wilson’s singing sounds especially relaxed, and complexity never turns into an obstacle. It is an unaffected, positive work that gives its pleasures freely.