PAUL McCARTNEY

New (Universal)

Four producers were employed to oversee Paul McCartney’s new solo album: Paul Epworth, Ethan Johns, Mark Ronson and Giles Martin. Each was given a ‘trial’ but McCartney was so impressed with the results he kept all of the applicants on board. Mike Stent mixes the record and that, together with McCartney’s voice, unifies the work. Of course, it’s Beatle-esque, and it isn’t that far away 2007’s Memory Almost Full in terms of feel and quality. You’ll hear echoes of that album on the upbeat opener Save Us or on the nostalgic Early Days or On My Way To Work, where he recalls his pre-fame days in Liverpool: a trick he used with compelling effect on Memory’s That Was Me.

As you’d expect, there’s a lot of variety: pop, rock and a little whimsy. New, the title track, is a sugar coated pop single: full of flourishes straight out of 1966. Queenie Eye is a looking forwards/looking back highlight. Appreciate recycles Vanilla Sky. Hosanna is strong, so is the moody Road. Littered with cool sonic tricks, McCartney has created an album that, despite his years in the game, sounds remarkably fresh. Not everything is a bulls-eye, but it’s a welcome addition to the canon.

[rating: 3.5/5]

Mitchell Peters