Label: Hear Music
Released: June 5, 2007
Paul McCartney’s solo career has been erratic to say the least. His first solo effort shows us both that he’s a great pop songwriter and that he’s willing to stretch out and take chances at times. Sometimes those chances worked, but often they were too slick for their own good. From the mid-70s until the mid-90s, it seems that even his hits were really misses, at least artistically. His misguided belief that he should be writing more than pop songs culminated in the disastrous Liverpool Oratorio which went way beyond the watering down of decent songs. At that point, he was just out of his league. Then, beginning with 1997’s Flaming Pie, McCartney seemed to rediscover himself. His pop sensibilities were still present, but he abandoned the slickness in favor of a raw and genuine approach. The results were solid and even excellent albums where he sounded far more alive than he had in his 30s and 40s. That brings us to his latest release, Memory Almost Full. His recent run of critical success would lead one to expect more of the same, but McCartney opts for some changes, returning to some of his earlier ambitions with varying success.
Generally speaking, there are no really bad songs on here, only some bad moments. The album actually has some tracks that nearly rank among his best. The opening track, “Dance Tonight,” is upbeat folk with a stomping rhythm, some mandolin and a catchy hook. It certainly raises expectations for the rest of the album. Things take a definite turn with “Ever Present Past,” which gets a bit glossy much in the vein of McCartney’s 80s output. Still, the hook is strong enough that the gloss isn’t overbearing. He tries a bit of blue-eyed soul on “See Your Sunshine.” (Seriously, I checked the songwriting credits to see if Paul wrote this one with Daryl Hall.) It’s a good pop song, but lacks the teeth of his recent releases. “Only Mama Knows” tries to recreate some his best rock bombast. It falls significantly short of that target, but still ranks as a solid, energetic track. “You Tell Me” is one of several tracks that sound like it may have been an Abbey Road outtake. Far from being a knock, his ability to recapture any elements of the Beatles’ most complete effort is amazing almost 40 years down the road. McCartney has slight hints of hip-hop in the odd cadence of “Mr. Bellamy,” but it doesn’t work very well and the result is one of the album’s real orphans. “Gratitude” also captures some of that Abbey Road essence. It’s an oddly sweet and loving send-off to Heather Mills. As such it is one of his best love songs, being completely devoid of the saccharine nature that invalidates so much of his worst work. “Vintage Clothes” is more solid upbeat pop, but suffers somewhat from heavy-handed production and corny lyrics. To be fair though, McCartney has gone much farther down this road in the past and he at least showed some restraint here. “That Was Me” has a bit of an awkward modern arrangement, but makes up for it with jazzy pop energy. The album is reined in a bit on the folky “Feet in the Clouds.” The strings are a bit too much, but once again McCartney’s return to his more polished former self doesn’t do the damage that it once did, resulting in another decent song. “House of Wax” is unusually weak songwriting for McCartney coupled with overwrought production and way too much ambient noise. There’s a decent guitar solo, but that is by no means enough to save the song. If there is any doubt that Paul is facing his own mortality, “The End of the End” sufficiently dispels it. It’s a low-key piano-driven piece that is part last wishes and part end of life optimism. It’s more subtle than a lot of the album, but really sinks in as one of the best tracks. To avoid ending on anything remotely melancholy, Memory Almost Full closes with “Nod Your Head,” another fine McCartney rocker that falls only a tad shy of “Live and Let Die.”
There is a consistent feeling that Paul sees the end of his career (and possibly even his life) approaching. Yet, he doesn’t greet it with trepidation. Rather, he embraces the past and pushes on toward the future openly and willingly, albeit not flawlessly. The touch of sadness to Memory Almost Full is countered, though not overwhelmed, by its good vibe. Over the course of the album, McCartney borrows from some of his most ambitious work, some of his worst work and some of his most genuine work. The results vary as he falls short of his best, yet even shorter of his worst efforts. While this may be his worst album in ten years, it’s as good or better than anything in the 20 years before that.
Rating: 6/10