[On Boys in the Trees Carly Simon is] obscure and artsy in her ruminations about sexual insecurity. Boys in the Trees includes a couple of songs that say without-my-man-I'm-worthless-and-he'll-leave-me-'cause-I'm-worthless. The new single, "You Belong to Me," presents her response—mostly desperate, with a neat hint of egocentrism—to her man's announcement that he's in love with someone else. There's still a high school feel to her songs—it's boys in the trees—but Carly seems less anguished over whether she'll get asked to the prom.

Which is smart. She's too sleek and well-adjusted to be a credible victim; if Carly went up to Saratoga, guess whose horse would win. Boys in the Trees is relatively light on wallflowerism and turgid ballads. Exceptions are "Haunting," [which is] arcane and ostentatious …, and "In a Small Moment," the pompous, moralistic recounting of a fall from grace. But "Back Down to Earth...