Not quite the obvious masterpiece many had hoped for, the cutest old (55) Beatle's umpteenth album since that group's dissolution shines with a warm, personable, up-front charm similar to that found on his first two solo albums.
While the normally heavy hand of co-producer Jeff Lynne makes itself felt on the eight tracks he contributes to (dig the nod to "Don't Bring Me Down" on "Flaming Pie"), the former ELO frontman is surprisingly tasteful in his efforts to bring McCartney's vocals into the front of the mix while he adds a crisp, almost dramatic instrumental sound to excellent returns-to-form such as the moving look back ("The Song We Were Singing") that starts the album; a brilliant bit of Nick Lowe-caliber pop ("The World Tonight"); a low-key, "Messin' With The Kid" knockabout jam with a bit of "Emotional Rescue"-era Stones vocalizing, a great Byrds-like 12-string riff and Ringo Starr on drums ("Really Love You"); and "Souvenir," which cops a minor "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" groove.
With Macca self-producing "Some Days" (a beautiful "For No One" update), "Used To Be Bad" (which sounds like a Steve Miller track), Young Boy" and "If You Wanna" (both written with Steve Miller and easily the best songs on the record) and George Martin co-producing "Calico Skies" (which was recorded in 1992 but sounds as if it was waxed during the same session that produced "Blackbird") and "Great Day," which was written in the mid-'70s - there are no shortage of fab-like highlights (relax fans, Paul even tosses in a "luv" on "Somedays") here for those who grew up with McCartney.
What may surprise more than a few folks, however, is the fact that there's more than enough vitality, playfulness, excitement, emotion, honesty and fun contained in these 14 tracks to still qualify McCartney as a relevant recording artist while also making him one of the few members of his peer group in recent memory to actually produce something worth hearing.
