Carly Simon - Comes in Waves (2026)
Comes in Waves is a dignified and often moving late-career record, carried more by Carly Simon’s emotional candour than by consistently exceptional songwriting. Her voice has aged visibly, but that fragility suits songs built around memory, regret, family and reconciliation.
The best tracks work because Simon sounds specific rather than merely reflective. “Maybe I Never Loved You” and “Mother of Pearl” have genuine emotional weight, and the understated production usually gives the material enough room to breathe. There is warmth here, and occasionally real poignancy.
The weaker material is much more conventional. Several melodies drift into tasteful adult-contemporary territory, some lyrics are too broad, and the album rarely approaches the melodic or lyrical precision of Simon’s strongest work. Its comeback context undoubtedly makes it feel more significant than the music alone warrants.
A good, sincere album with several strong songs, but not a major late-career statement.
Emotionally direct and convincing
Strongest songs have real weight
Tasteful, unobtrusive production
Cons
Uneven songwriting
Too much adult-contemporary smoothness
Historical context is stronger than the album itself
Genre: Singer Songwriter
Country: US
Final Verdict: 67% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 129th / 640
Highlight: Love the Way I do
Made me think of:
Joni Mitchell
Joan Baez
Judy Collins
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