Will Newbegin
Riding on the wave of his long-awaited ‘Carpool Karaoke’ segment, a 2018 tour announcement and internet-breaking interview soundbytes redefining his friendship with John Lennon, former fab-four bassman and vocalist Paul McCartney has once again found the spotlight with his 18th solo album, “Egypt Station.”
A 16-track pop-music mammoth, the project was teased by lead singles “I Don’t Know” and “Come On to Me” on June 20. Not ever a huge follower of McCartney’s solo material in the past, I missed the two singles on first release.
As chance would have it, they are a microcosm of the album’s greatest strength. On the tracks, McCartney flexes his showman muscles at full tension and brushes moderation aside as he croons over balladry and driving piano leads respectively. When “Egypt Station” clicks with me, it is often under these circumstances.
Showing off his talent as a multi-instrumentalist and composer, McCartney handles almost all performing and songwriting duties on the album, with exception to “Fuh You”, written in tandem with producer Ryan Tedder.
Tedder, a former Adele, Beyoncé and Maroon 5 collaborator, worked with house name Greg Kurstin (Devo, Sia, Lily Allen) on the record’s production. Their experience in pop music shines through without fail, as the record sounds thoroughly modern, airtight and balanced almost throughout.
“Egypt Station” opens with some train station ambiance, perhaps highlighting ideas of worldliness or unity among peoples that appear throughout the album. For a mildly conceptual effort, the brief exposition works in its minimal role.
Then comes “I Don’t Know”, the record’s previously-mentioned single. It’s the best cut of the bunch, right off the bat. The persistent self-doubts emanates from McCartney’s vocal performance as he takes in hand his troubles all the way to the recording booth. What the audience gets is Paul at his most sentimental, which is as enjoyable as ever.
The LP picks up with its second single, “Come on to Me.” Its show-tune-style histrionics shift the album from neutral into fifth gear. Another fine example of songwriting, the track stirs blaring horns, slammed piano chords and driving percussion with a vocal melody and hook to leave one’s foot tapping minutes after the song’s conclusion.
I’ve got to hand it to Tedder and Kirsten behind the boards, especially on this track, since their seamless stitch of all of Paul McCartney’s instrumental odds-and-ends misses nothing, It maximizes the space in which McCartney can act as a musical ringleader of sorts, conducting the instruments as they fire on all cylinders.
However, afterward, the record loses most of its momentum.
“Happy With You” is a cookie-cutter piece of indie-folk. Though McCartney might convey a shred of emotional depth here and there, he loses it in a mish-mosh of poorly-integrated influences.
“Who Cares” might attempt at the same fun of “Come on to Me,” but fails to present the same colorful instrumental palate, song structure or energy. This hearkening back to the rhythm and blues might placate the true-blue Beatles fan, but offers nothing to an outside listener.
The album’s worst track, “Fuh You,” is rock charts fodder. Stay away, lest you confuse Paul McCartney with Imagine Dragons.
This is both the story so far and the story to come on this project. All that “Egypt Station” presents in terms of worthwhile material drags with it pop platitudes, or just uninspired rehashing of old ideas. Sure, songs like “Despite Repeated Warnings” — a four-part accost of climate-change deniers, and their fearless toupee’d leader — resonate with relative ambition. But even so, the song has little to speak in terms of refreshing commentary or original musical thought.
Apply this statement to the rest of the LP, where an hour of mostly bloated filler drowns out the legitimate studio chops in between. When Paul’s personality shines through, you’ve got yourself a good listen. When his personality fades, good luck — you’re in for a slog on this one.
RATING: 2.5/5
Instead, listen to “American Utopia” by David Byrne (2018) or “In a Poem Unlimited” by U.S. Girls.
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1 Comment
A reviewer who claims to want “new ideas” and “oroginal musical thought”, yet highlights Come On To Me as “a fine example of songwriting” whilst dismissing most of the album as “uninspired platitudes” and “bloated filler”, is in the unenviable possession of a musical (in)sensibility with which I can find no common ground whatever. Remarkable.