Hits and misses...

Album: Born and Raised
Artist: John Mayer
Label: Columbia, Sony Music
Released: May 22, 2012
Peak chart position/sales: (AUS) #1 (US) #1 (CAN) #1 (NZ) #1 (UK) #4 (IRE) #14

RATING: 3.5/5 stars


Within a week of its release, Mayer's latest album had already accumulated a startlingly amount of praise before it rocketed up the charts. Deservedly so. The wholesome collection that is Born and Raised oozes country cool with a hint of folk and more than one infectious groove, every tune standing firm in its own masterfully crafted melody in Mayer's trademark simple-but-effective style. Pleasantly catchy yet gently unobtrusive tunes float along in a wash of intimate vocals, delicately jangling guitars, crisp drum work and of course some gritty grooves ala "Crossroads". Mayer sings of his usual topics - love, love lost and love that does your head in - but this time carries it off with an unmistakable maturity that makes this a refreshingly solid listen.

Album: So Beautiful or So What

Artist: Paul Simon

Label: Hear Music

Released: April 8, 2011

Peak chart position/sales: (US) #4 (UK) #6 (IRE) #7

RATING: 2/5 stars

I don't understand how this album can have been created by the same man who wrote Graceland. Sure, the 80's hit was always going to be his masterpiece, but the mundane guitar chugging, thin percussion and tired poetry that continuously falls on its face is not what I expected of Paul Simon's latest release. Not one song presents a catchy singalong opportunity or a beautiful eyes-closed-listening moment, and the melodic structure borders on misguided as Simon weaves his trademark free-verse through often confusingly chaotic guitar leads with far less grace than fans have come to expect. There's a distinct country vibe to this one too - but rather than channeling some laid-back rural cool, it's the irritating old-man-wailing sort. Disappointment abounds.

Album: Kisses On The Bottom

Artist: Paul McCartney

Label: Hear Music

Released: February 6, 2012

Peak chart position/sales: (UK) #3  (FRA) #4 (US) #5 (AUS) #15

RATING: 3/5 stars

Speaking of musicians who don't age well, let us not forget the dubious anatomical associations of Paul McCartney's nose-thumbing gesture to the industry. Yet, behind the crude title lie 15 old-school covers of songs from McCartney's boyhood, plus original single "My Valentine". The incongruence is only slightly less appalling when we realise the collection takes its title from an out-of-context lyric...
True to McCartney's reputation, the original track is the best in the collection. The standard arrangements don't breathe new life into old songs and McCartney's ageing vocal chords fail to spice things up as well. While it's not exactly a flop, it's not revolutionary either. And I prefer the originals.

Album: Nightflight

Artist: Kate Miller-Heidke

Label: Sony Music Entertainment Australia

Released: April 13, 2012

Peak chart position/sales: (AUS) #2

Oh my gosh....I'd give you my opinion, but I'm saving this one for a full review ;) Stay tuned!

Never underestimate an ex-Beatle

Album: Band On The Run
Artist: Paul McCartney & Wings
Label: Apple
Release date: 7 December, 1973
Peak chart position/sales: (AUS) #1 (US) #1, 3x Multi-Platinum (UK) #1, Platinum

RATING: 3.5/5 stars

I guess the moral of the story is never underestimate an ex-Beatle; certainly not one with the amount of perseverance and enterprising talent as Paul McCartney. Yet I did, because...come on...aside from "Imagine" none of the post-Beatle hits I'd heard had ever particularly done anything for me. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to find that Band On The Run begs to differ - moreover, wipes out any possibility of impending scorn or passing-off with a startlingly textured array of songs whose variety harks back to the experimentation of The White Album, the innovation of Abbey Road and, with its motley crew of (mostly) British celebrities starring in the prison-break shot for the album cover, even a hint of Sgt. Pepper. But despite the Beatles references, this is very much a Paul McCartney album. Minus a drummer and guitarist - Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough having split a week before recording - Band On The Run showcases McCartney's talents more than it does Wings', resulting in a semi-solo album that is no-doubt McCartney's most impressive post-Beatles achievement.

The frustrating thing about McCartney (and The Beatles in general), is that he seems to have a bottomless pit of amazing melodies and riffs that would easily make an entire song epic, but which he seems to have such an excess of that he uses bits and pieces of them all in the one piece. The opening and title track is one such song. A miniature epic with three phases, any of the riffs that start each of the sections would easily have developed and settled into rhythm, but McCartney moves them on with ingenious bridge passages, developing the piece with admirable sophistication that reminds us what a song master McCartney really is.

The strong opening is followed confidently by the energetic "Jet" and then sweetly chilled latin beats of "Bluebird"  (not to be confused with the quietly sophisticated and poignantly evocative "Blackbird" of The White Album, which some have likened to a "sister piece" but which definitely stands on its own). The album takes a rambling turn however, with the excessively long and repetitive "Mrs. Vandebilt" and the lethargic shot at heavy rock that is "Let Me Roll It". The lovely "Mamusia" and feel-good "No Words" pick up the slack however and despite the forget-ability of "Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)", the album finishes with an undeniable bang in "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five". A 5'25" epic of thumping rock piano, dreamy synth and McCartney's raucous vocals holds the listener throughout with its infectious rock riffs and intriguing arrangements. An unexpected reference to the opening track ties it all up neatly too, ala concept album.

Band On The Run is a brilliantly versatile and entertaining album of a man who'd formed a great sound, well pulled off in McCartney's trademark meticulous style, and no more cautious or commercial than The Beatles never tried to be. Stepping out of The Beatles' shadow has got to be a mammoth task, but with this album McCartney safely asserted his individual songwriting and musical talent for all the  world to see.

Is it worth my $$$? - iTunes have evidently wised up to which tracks are the most popular, because "Band On The Run" and "Jet" will set you back $2.19, while their fellows only cost the standard $1.69. There are strong, standout tracks certainly and definitely a couple of weak ones to balance it out. I'm going to opt for a few favourites over buying the entire album, but if you like their sound, Band On The Run is a nicely paced album worthy of any 70s soundtrack.

Listen to: Band On The Run, Jet, Mamunia