By Zachary Adler Contributing Writer;

You have to give Paul Simon credit for one thing, even if you don’t like his music. For someone who’s music you expect to work best in the studio, he sure puts on a wild show.

Part of the two-man band, Simon and Garfunkel, Simon’s newest album, “Live In New York City” is a good example of the magic that was captured on tape for all to see.  He chose the best way to convey this, with a rapturous 20-song concert to a hometown crowd at New York’s Webster Hall on his recent So Beautiful or So What tour.

On this 2-CD 1-DVD set, he pushes his 8-piece band through nearly every corner of his nearly 50-year career, going as far back as the very first Simon and Garfunkel album while still making everything sound fresh.

Simon’s latest studio effort “So Beautiful or So What” is represented generously with extremely faithful renditions of four songs that fit right alongside his most revered classics.

Speaking of classics, he plays five fantastic renditions from the 1986 smash Graceland, including a rare playing of “That Was Your Mother” and an incredibly funky seven minute “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes” that includes a breathtaking intro.

But the best moment of the show comes when the oldest songs are played. Simon strips down to solo acoustic guitar for an incredibly powerful reading of “The Sound Of Silence,” delivering a pristine showing that his voice is still in top form. Another fantastic highlight is the seamless sequencing of “Kodachrome” and “Gone At Last,” which seemed to flow as one song together.

Live In New York City is a fantastic showing of Paul Simon at his peak, having fun singing through his storied past with the same energy as the first time he sang them. It is easily his best live album, delivering surprises along with familiar hits and being an overall joyful listen from cover to cover.