Paul McCartney - NEW

And on the 8^th day, God created Sir Paul McCartney.

At 71, McCartney is making the best music on the planet.  NEW is the BEST album of the year.  No one else is even in the same ballpark.  Not even close.  This isn’t even up for debate.

Packed with the wisdom of a man who has been there done that and the giddiness of a 14-year-old kid who has just been given his first guitar, these songs are an all-ages experience.  Delivering an album full of youthful maturity, Macca proves again he will only grow up on his own terms. 

Sir Paul, doing what he does, pushes the envelope even further on mainstream music again, whether solo or with that band (whatever they were called) he used to be in, he continues to create music that is for the masses without compromising his long standing credibility as an artist.  In an era when his contemporaries (Young, Dylan, Elton) are making albums only serious fans can embrace, McCartney is still making popular music the world can easily revel in.

NEW finds our hero mixing in a more modernized texture of instrumentation.  Some fuzz, tasteful synths, and signature McCartney bass runs are sprinkled delightfully throughout the album making for a very interesting and yet still very listenable pop record.  And the harpsichord! He uses it like no one else.  After a synth riff kicks off "Alligator", in jumps the harpsichord we remember from "Fixing A Hole" and upon launching into the verse, "I want someone to come home to, I need somewhere I can sleep," you're strapped in and ready to ride this wave with him.   

There's another instrument at play throughout NEW- the studio.  The crystal clear sound made possible only by today’s unparalleled technology is an entire trip alone.  You feel like you’re inside Abbey Road with the legend himself, hovering over the board with fellow producers Mark Ronson, Giles Martin, and Ethan Johns.

Lyrically, McCartney doesn't give you everything, he gives you only what you need.  You're not going to go inside a day in the life of a Beatle here.  Instead, Macca treats the listener like an audience of fans rather than a group of intimate friends.  It's like having afternoon tea with the man as opposed to late night cocktails.  He vents to you, but he doesn't reveal a thing he doesn't want you to know.  Yet, you still come away feeling as though he opened up his world to you.      

Yes, McCartney is still crafting incredible pop songs for one of the most impressive catalogues the world of music has ever known.  It all comes down to timeless songwriting.  An art that you could argue has been lost on many current songwriters or perhaps even an entire generation.  NEW will stick around.  Always timeless.  Always NEW.

Macca is back.  He never left.

Key tracks: ALL OF ‘EM. 

JK’s picks: “Save Us”, “New”, “On My Way To Work”, and “Turned Out”