Rating: NN
Can we please call a moratorium on aging rock stars recording cover albums of their early influences? Good intentions aside, they almost always suck, which is exactly the case with Sir Paul’s 16th solo studio album. He sounds like he’s having fun playing the jazz lounge singer, but he’s clearly enjoying it far more than we are, despite some help from Diana Krall, John Clayton, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder.
Detractors might say he’s always been schmaltzy, but he’s usually pretty good at the mushy, sentimental stuff. This could have been as effective as Harry Nilsson’s A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night but instead comes across like a dinner-theatre version of that vibe: smooth and pleasant, with absolutely no depth. His usually formidable voice could have saved it, but he often sounds like he’s struggling to hit the notes. The two original songs he wrote for the project won’t get anyone other than diehard fans excited either.
Top track: Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
