If [Carly Simon] was Carly Simon's tenth album it would have been an amazing feat. But it is only her first album, and that makes it something in the order of a miracle.

It is a rarity indeed to have an artist on her first album emerge as a totally developed talent. But Carly Simon is that rarity….

Her lyrics are pointed, searing, and honest, She writes of experiences between people, and so her songs, though deeply personal, have a painful universality to them. When she sings in Reunions of people who used to be friends trying desperately to perpetuate dead friendships, she is singing for all of us….

Carly's thinking, like her artistry, is mature. She has a lot of fire, but she also has the ability to channel that fire and make it work for her. Rather than screaming about tearing down the walls and about...