Where does Paul McCartney's latest album rate in the grand scheme? Obviously, he's not topped his Beatles work. It's also no
McCartney, Ram or
Band on the Run or even
Back to the Egg or
McCartney II.
But
New does fit in comfortably among his better albums from the past 25 years or so, including
Flaming Pie and
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, works which saw McCartney becoming increasingly interested in and referential of his past work.
This results in tunes that reflect elements of his various music with the Beatles and Wings and sometimes brings about good new songs, but also material that can be uncomfortably derivative and self-aware.
New is basically just that: Several tunes that enjoyably comment on McCartney's past while also sounding genuinely current and inspired, and other tunes where the inspiration's just not there.
But at age 71, after so much great music, turning out an LP with even a handful of worthy songs on it isn't a bad accomplishment at all.
Those good tunes includes a trio of songs that come early on the album.
"Alligator," distinguished by a repeated synthesizer squiggle, acoustic guitars and shuffling drums, sounds fresh and new and, somewhat surprisingly, has a nice set of lyrics, including a couple of playfully saucy ones. It shows that, even now, McCartney is capable of turning out a memorable phrase, it's just that he rarely puts the time into coming up with one.
"Queenie Eye," reportedly inspired by a Liverpool playground chant, features lyrics about the game of life, accompanied by a driving piano riff that will put you in mind of "Lady Madonna" and other late-period Beatles tunes. There on some nice lyrics here, too: "There were rules you never told me...Life's a game, rags from riches, dogs and bitches hunt for fame, difficult to know which way to turn, lay the blame on the snitches, wicked witches fan the flame."
"New," the album's title the tune, has one of the surely-this-can't-have-always-existed melodies McCartney seems to pluck from the air. It's the most backward-looking (in a good way) tune on the record, sounding like a lost cousin to
"Good Day Sunshine" and
"Penny Lane." It's got a hummable, sauntering-down-the-summer-sidewalk tunefulness to it and a great arrangement harpsichord, mellotron and horns, along with a fantastic Beach Boys-"psychedelic barbershop quartet" tag at the end. It's a should've-been summer hit.
Not as strong, but still compelling are a couple of songs that look
way back to McCartney's growing up years in Liverpool.
"On My Way to Work," like many of the tunes here, carries the theme of love as salvation, a longing to be with a loved one who will help life's problems go away. In other songs, such as "Alligator," the theme is romantic love, but this song, it struck me, may be McCartney as a young man talking about losing his mother, who died when he was a teen. It's a tender tune, broken up periodically and unexpectedly by a big guitar riff that detracts from it's overall feeling of quiet reflection.
"Early Days," meanwhile, sounds like something Johnny Cash might've sung on his last few albums. There's a country sound to it, with acoustic guitar and McCartney singing in a lower register in a voice that shows its age. It's sometimes rough and his once flute-like falsetto sometimes struggles and sounds thin, but he hits the notes he wants to hit. The song betrays a singer concerned about his legacy, irritated at being categorized and explained by those who, he feels, claim to know more about his history than he does himself. "They weren't there, and they will never know," is his response.
"Appreciate" is the LP's most "modern-sounding" tune, featuring loops and lots of electronic processing and instruments. If any other artist his age ventured into this territory, the results could be embarrassing - an old guy trying to sound hip. But McCartney has always been a sonic adventurer and, in fact, was the first guy to use loops (on tape, on "Tomorrow Never Knows" in 1966) in a pop song.
McCartney II, way back in 1979, was essentially an early electro-pop album. It's the lyrics, though, that ultimately lets this tune down.
The same is true of many of the other tracks, to varying degrees.
"Road," as you might expect, uses the done-to-death metaphor of travel and one's life. I'd rather take a long and winding one.
"I Can Bet" and the lead-off track,
"Save Us," are essentially the title phrases set to music. The bonus songs on the Amazon edition of the LP,
"Turned Out" and
"Get Me Out of Here," aren't much better, though the former has a nice melody and arrangement. The latter is a blues-based, knocked-out tune that might as well have been written and recorded at the same time.
Other songs are a bit stronger, notably
"Hossana" and
"Out There," but are also weakened by slipshod lyrics. You just wish Macca would take the time to match words worthy to his melodies.
Much has been made of McCartney's use of multiple producers on the album --
Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse),
Ethan Johns (son of Glyn),
Giles Martin (son of George) and
Paul Epworth -- and the result is a refreshing eclecticism that's lacking on too many LPs these days. It's nice to hear the variety of styles, tones and instrumental lineups in play. It's not a case of too many cooks at all - despite the variety, it all sounds like Paul - sometimes at his best, sometimes not, but certainly worth a listen.
