Memory Almost Full
Paul McCartney
(Hear Music)
The Cute One is 64 years old (65 in a couple of weeks). Instead of living the idyllic life he promised himself in song, Paul McCartney is tabloid fodder, thanks to a messy breakup with former model Heather Mills. On Memory Almost Full, one might expect a confessional sob-fest detailing a failed relationship. Or the angry swan song of a cynical star — especially considering titles like "Ever Present Past," "That Was Me" and "The End of the End." Fortunately, the former Beatle has never been big on bitter.
On Memory Almost Full, McCartney implements the same classic pop sounds he pioneered decades ago to reflect on heartbreak and a lifetime spent under the media's microscope. The rock legend imbues his reflections and observations with the unwavering hopefulness that has buoyed practically everything he's recorded. There is melancholy, though, lurking in the near-flawless melodies that McCartney continues to issue. In fact, this might be one of the most emotional albums he has ever made.
McCartney starts the record, which finds him playing most of the instruments and reunited with producer David Kahne, with a memorable little folk ditty titled "Dance Tonight." He lightly strums a mandolin and cajoles the listener to "feel all right." Macca's in fine voice — he even delivers one of the famed "woo-hoos" he learned back in the 1950s from Little Richard — but listen closely and it's the tone of a man more in need of a good time than one in the position to create one.
McCartney maintains that delicate balance between pathos and optimism throughout the album. On "You Tell Me," the singer recalls a busted relationship, trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong over soft acoustic guitars punctuated with spurts of electric blues licks. The song teems with feeling — a man questioning past events, sharing blame and, ultimately, refusing to wallow in self-pity.
On "That Was Me," an upbeat rocker with a great bass line, McCartney takes a trip down memory lane, relating tales of his pre-fame days and Beatlemania with nostalgic glee. He's making amends with his crazy past — neither reveling in it nor trying to distance himself. Even on "The End of the End," which basically outlines how Sir Paul wants his funeral to play out, he manages to steer clear of icky sentimentalism, imploring his loved ones to tell jokes and "listen to songs that were sung." 4 stars —Wade Tatangelo
Beyond
DINOSAUR JR.
(Fat Possum)
The first Dinosaur Jr. album since 1988's Bug to feature the band's original lineup makes you wonder if the 1990s ever ended. These three guys — guitarist/singer J Mascis, bassist/singer Lou Barlow and drummer Murph — have plugged right back into the pre-Nirvana indie-rock zeitgeist they helped create. Everything to love about the group's early LPs is here in abundance: Mascis' alternately fuzzy and crystal-clear six-string squall; Mascis and Barlow's seemingly tossed-off vocal melodies; Murph's instinctual drum fills. In an interview earlier this year, Murph told me he feels like the history of what his band and others did in the late '80s is "being bulldozed." Beyond is one hell of a way to jog the memory. 4 stars —Cooper Levey-Baker
Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash
VARIOUS ARTISTS
(Dualtone)
Like most tribute discs, this one is all over the place on the quality scale. Loretta Lynn turns in a lovely performance of "Wildflower" with her casual grace and charm, even slipping in a laugh at the end of one line, just the kind of laid-back touch normally edited out of more sober homages. Brad Paisley, meanwhile, delivers a thoroughly generic run-through of "Keep on the Sunny Side," his smooth, inoffensive radio voice incapable of summoning any authenticity on a line like "There's a dark and a troubled side of life." As for Billy Bob Thornton's pseudo-down-home spoken-word work on "Road to Kaintuck," the less said the better. 2.5 stars —CLB
Gutterfly: The Original Soundtrack
LIFESAVAS
(Quannum Projects)
Great songwriting can transcend gimmickry. But for Portland, Ore., hip-hop trio Lifesavas, great songwriting fleshes out substantive musical qualities while exposing a few weaknesses. The group's second release, Gutterfly, is a concept album that resurrects the funk of '70s blaxploitation; but the narrative tale, chronicling characters with names like Bumpy Johnson and Sleepy Floyd, is weak at best. Songs like "No Surprise" and "A Serpent's Love" are rife with intelligent lyrics, raw deliveries and beats that shine with a cool vibe in the tradition of Blackalicious. But the vague conceptual interludes draw attention away from the album's brightest moments. The Fishbone cameo in "Dead Ones" pulls you right out of the moment, as do appearances from George Clinton, Vernon Reid and the like. Each song stands on its own merits, but the distractions clip the wings off this otherwise excellent album. 3 stars —Chad Radford
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2007.