Paul McCartney - New

Here's what I thought of Paul McCartney's new album, “New.” Remember all scores are out of a possible 10 points.

“Save Us” - A up tempo rocker. Nice vocals, nice harmonies. Got my ass shaking. Score: 7

“Alligator” - I liked parts of this song like the lyrics and some of the guitar work. But this was a little out there for my taste. Score: 6

“On My Way To Work” - Once again, I liked parts of this song. The lyrics were interesting, but rather depressing. The guitar work was pretty amazing. Score: 6

“Queenie Eye” - I can get on board with this track. Interesting rhythms and great vocals. An interlude I could have done without, but overall a fun track. Score: 8

“Early Days” - Emotional realness will ALWAYS get through to me and this track has it – in abundance. Excellent lyrics and music. Score: 9

“New” - A very nice track. Upbeat and lively it has a very early Beatles feel to it, musically. But then again, how could it not? Score: 7

“Appreciate” - I can appreciate the dark feel of this track and the vocals, but it felt a bit long in the tooth. Once again, a nice track, but nothing outstanding. Score: 6

“Everybody Out There” - One of the better tracks on the album. I can totally see this rocking the crowd in a concert setting. A bit preachy, but overall pretty fabulous. Score: 8

“Hosanna” - I am not sure where Paul wanted this track to go, but I get the feeling his missed the mark. Nothing really to latch on to with this one. The lyrics and the music were just blah. Score: 4

“I Can Bet” - Yes! A rock track that I can sink my teeth into – finally! Great vocals and awesome rhythms. The ending was a bit much but I overlook that mistake. Score: 8

“Looking At Her” - At first, I was like, “Uh oh.” But then the chorus kicked in and kind of saved the song. The lyrics were trippy and the music was kind of out there. Not a bad track, but not one I would want to listen to again. Score: 4

“Road” - To be frank, the first half of this song bored me. I had to keep reminding myself to listen. But the last half got balls and caught my attention. However, in the case the end does not justify the means. Score: 5

“Turned Out” - Another upbeat kind of rocker that bored me somewhat. I liked the rhythms, but the vocals just kind of left me scratching my head. Another track that I doubt I would ever listen to again. Score: 4

“Get Me Out Of Here” - I rather got into this track. It has texture and I love texture. Engaging vocals and interesting music to boot. Score: 8

There is a hidden track that I will call “The Simplest Words.” Dripping with vulnerability, this track was my favorite of the entire album. Just a piano and Paul's voice. Priceless. Score: 10

Average Track Score: 6.7. Nothing – except the hidden track – really got to me. Would I recommend this album? To Paul McCartney die hard fans? Hell yes. To the rest of the world? Meh. Probably not. And I fall in the latter category.

Escalader,

Jim