Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What (2011) LP

So Beautiful or So What is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Produced by Simon and Phil Ramone, the album released on April 8, 2011 by Hear Music. Following his collaboration with producer Brian Eno for Surprise (2006), Paul Simon began writing new music and introduced several songs gradually as the decade closed. Having experimented with rhythm-based textures for much of the previous two decades, Simon returned to composing songs rather traditionally using only his acoustic guitar. These songs were further augmented by experimental recording practices in the studio. The album marks his fifth and final album produced by Phil Ramone.

The album was largely recorded in a small cottage at Simon's property in New Canaan, Connecticut. The record contains West African blues-inspired guitar playing, Indian-style percussion, and experimentation with samples. These samples range wildly, from a 1941 sermon to nighttime ambience in Kenya. Musically, the album contains a lack of bass in most songs and a very large presence of bells. Much of Simon's lyricism on the album revolves around spirituality and mortality, a fact noted by music writers. Simon stated that this was unintentional, and came about naturally in his songwriting process.

Upon its release, So Beautiful or So What received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised Simon's themes and songwriting. Many considered it his best work in two decades, and it was included on many end-of-the-year lists as one of the best albums of the year. It became his highest US chart debut and charted within the top 10 in nine other countries.