Hands up if
you want the new Macca album. So that's one for you Sir Paul
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Macca returns
with his first album of solo compositions since the death of wife
Linda and discovery of girlfriend Heather.
Nigel
Bell
They say an artist needs inspiration and on McCartney has plenty to draw on - the pain of losing
his wife and the uplifting experieince of falling in love again.
Mixed emotions
which add up to a mixed album.
But that's nothing
new for Paul McCartney. His work since the Beatles demise has always
been patchy. Two classic Wings albums (Band On The Run and Venus
And Mars) but the majority were hit and miss. The same can be said
of his solo work. You'll always find some outstanding songs but
there's just as much guff - Press To Play anyone?
His last great
collection was probably Flowers In The Dirt 12 years ago. Driving
Rain has echoes of that in terms of depth but fails to live up to
expectations.
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| Macca riffs |
This is stripped
down Macca with some American session men, all slapped together
in a couple of weeks. But it's not as lo-fi as you might expect.
Indeed, opener
Lonely Road is a great rocker, the title track talks of driving
in the rain with the one you love but isn't as twee as the opening
"1,2,3,4,5, let's go for a drive" line hints at.
By I Do, however,
we're starting to enter repeat territoty - much of this song sounding
like Only Love Remains, a minor mid-80s hit.
It's hardly
surprising. Sir Paul's been around so long he's bound to return
to familiar themes. Your Way harps back to the Tug Of War album
and duets with Carl Perkins.
But shouldn't be dismissed out of hand - Spinning On An Axis
has a great bass hook and at more than 10 minutes Rinse The Raindrops
flies all over the place allowing Macca a good screaming session.
A bit more variation
would have helped, maybe even the inclusion of the music of his
alter ego The Fireman.
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