Paul McCartney

Driving Rain

Some very good songs with great vocals

Review Score:

(8/10)
The overall album is very decent, with some outstanding songs:

Highlights are:
"Lonely road", his first song after Linda's death; very strong melodic song on which McCartney screams his heart out. Song with atmosphere and soul.
The experimental "Rinse the raindrops" is a song in which melody and lyrics are repeatedly performed in different tempers/moods: in this 10-minute jam McCartney vividly plays the bass and shows that his voice can still be magic. He should do such stuff more often!
"She's given up talking" is a nice melody ingeniously performed; it is really a pity the lyrics spoil part of the fun...

The album shows a nice mix of styles, varying from India-inspired "Riding into Jaipur" to the catchy "From a lover to a friend" to upbeat "About you" to rocking "Rinse the Raindrops". All very different, all very good. On the other hand, there are some mediocre songs notably "Driving rain", "Your way" and "Spinning on the axis" that make the album too long. I think that some tracks would sound better if the band would have spent playing more time together before recording.

Although I have not been opposing the invasion into Afghanistan, I really do not understand the inappropriate "Freedom", a simplistic anthem with barrel-beating and lyrics like "fight for the right to freedom". It seems opposite of the intelligent humanist (anti-landmines, pro human right, pro animal rights and rain forests etc.) McCartney always has been striving to be. Idem Eric Clapton who is playing guitar on the track.

More Reviews: