At this stage in his life, the former Beatle is showing no signs of letting the creativity down.
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Paul McCartney, “Kisses on the Bottom,” (Hear Music/Concord). 3 ½ stars.
Paul McCartney has chosen to make some of his later years the most productive of his life.
In between “regular” releases from the former Beatle, he’s done a vintage 1950’s album, classical albums, a ballet, electronic albums and probably plenty more unreleased works from different realms.
And now this.
“Kisses on the Bottom” – recently named by a British music magazine as one of the 50 worst album titles ever – is better than its title, thankfully. The title is actually taken from Fats Waller’s 1935 composition “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” a song which leads off the album.
It’s Macca’s tribute to the standards he grew up hearing in his house, and for the most part, the material hasn’t faded. The fact that he’s got Diana Krall and her band with him, along with Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, certainly doesn’t hurt.
The standard edition of the album contains a series of classics and two extra originals, the McCartney compositions “My Valentine,” and “Only Our Hearts” which he felt fits the mood of the album.
Clapton provides a serious lift to the string-sparked “My Valentine,” while it’s good to hear Wonder, McCartney’s old “Ebony and Ivory” partner, adding some first-rate harmonica to “Only Our Hearts.
Elsewhere, McCartney take a mostly subdued approach to the material, offering splendid versions of songs such as “The Glory of Love” the aforementioned “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” as well as “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.”
If this material is not familiar to a new generation, it should be. The lush life Ballad “Always” the sweet “Bye Bye Blackbird” and the jazz-flavored “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” are just a few of these that need to be heard.
McCartney’s late father Jim would get a kick out of this. You will too.
Songs to download: “The Glory of Love,” “My Valentine”
Rating Scale: One Star (poor) to Five Stars (a classic).