Paul McCartney

Driving Rain

DR hits & mrs leaving you to wonder what could have been

Review Score:

(6/10)
Being a HUGE Macca fan, I waited restlessly for the release of Driving Rain. The first disk of "post Linda, all Macca studio work"...following easily what is considered some of his best solo career work in "Flaming Pie" and "Run Devil Run".

WHAT with the pre-release rumours promising a new band doing material that parallels "The Beatles" White Album in versatility and imagination and "delivering the missing elements of Pie"...which, to a point, Paul DOES accomplish...!

HOWEVER,

In too many places Driving Rain fails to deliver to these HIGH expectations. The need of more heady lyrics and finer arrangement techniques are easy reasons one uses before considering and classifying this offering a five star disk. However, the tricky part is that the material is there!

Paul could have easily strengthened the product by inserting "Vanilla Sky" on the disk and removing a couple of the weaker songs in the middle. Adding another verse to "Freedom" and taking the genisis of a wonderful ditty and transforming it from the "Chant with Eric Clapton licks" (which is still tasty) to a full blown piece of work would have also added to the power of the disk.

But, even more to the point, the refinement of the material written directly for DR could have been cleaned up and thereby strengtened. She's Given Up Talking has the potential to be a major hit (ala Rigby, Real Love etc...) if Paul had stuck with the melancholy theme touched on throughout the song; and yet this still remains a solid piece of work and easily my favorite of the album. Competing with "Riding into Jaipur" which is also absolutly beautiful! Hands down what legions of alienated Beatle/Macca fans have been looking for from Paul since...well 1968, but...the lyric might as well have been deleted...unfortunatly, this thought comes up on more than one occasion.

Finally, better song transistion, compression and refinement on the last group of songs "Loving Flame", "Rinse the Raindrops", and "Back into the Sunshine Again" and "DRIVING RAIN" could stand next to or surpass Flaming Pie, Tug of War and Band On The Run as Paul's best work! Also, disk opener's "Lonely Road" and "From A Lover to a Friend" deliver the 'goods' from early and present Macca days.

The fact that he came so close in the brief recording time he chose to work with speaks to the man's genius. I want to advertise for somebody to please replace John to help Paul finish his songs and keep him in line?! Heck, I believe Paul can do it if we would just commit.

His melodies are beautiful throughout and if Paul had spent the time to refine and fuse them, I believe he and his new producer would have hit on a powerful combination which could again shake the rock world (even at sixty)! Their desire to use computer technique's to create interesting new sounds with their instruments creating a Rubber Soul (or maybe even Revolver) type environment was hugly successful. His new band gives him fresh energy and direction.

Instead listener's must lean on excellent production techniques, fine guitar work and Paul's vocals and excellent baselines which hold this disk together...leaving the listener to wonder just what Paul could have achieved if he had chose to spend some time on post recording editing and looping.

It appears that the critical and emotional success of Run Devil Run pushed Paul just a little too far when he chose to continue the Lennon/McCartney strategy of "lay it down and walk away technique" so successful in Beatle years and successfully duplicated on "Run Devil Run"...for with a little help from his friends, this could have been a monster.

Lastly, one must classify this latest work as an absolute must for Macca fans...a tease for the avid Beatle fan who thinks Paul is too much pop. The interesting production and guitar work is worth the listen.

This one grows on you.

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