Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes Paul McCartney’s latest album, Kisses on the Bottom, a collection of standards from the Great American Songbook, released February 7. The 14-track album also includes one original song from Paul; a deluxe version comes with two bonus tracks (including another McCartney original).
An album of standards is an obvious choice for McCartney; he’s previously recorded albums of his favorite rock ‘n’ roll songs, but his love of classic songwriting had him covering “Till There Was You” on The Beatles’ second album, With The Beatles, and had a decided influence on his own compositions like “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Honey Pie.”
The focus here is also on Paul’s voice; he mostly plays no instruments on this outing, relying largely on Diana Krall to provide piano and rhythm arrangements on all tracks (Eric Clapton also puts in a few appearances on guitar; McCartney plays acoustic guitar on one track). Paul is a wistful, plaintive crooner, which gives the record a decided melancholy feel, despite some of the upbeat sentiments.
The record gets off to a breezy start with “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” (a hit for Fats Waller). Krall’s arrangements are simple and thankfully uncluttered, the kind of restrained music you can imagine playing at a late night lounge, where the lights are low, the cushions are deep and soft, and breaking the mood by doing something gauche like texting would be a sacrilege (it’s also a style perfected by Krall’s previous work with this album’s producer, Tommy LiPuma). McCartney himself is relaxed and clearly having a good time, his voice far more expressive and emotive than on his rock albums.
Other highlights include the light delivery of “It’s Only A Paper Moon” which contrasts nicely with the moodier feel of “We Three,” “Always,” and “Get Yourself Another Fool.” “Bye Bye Blackbird” gets a slow, bluesy treatment, again bringing out the underlying sadness that pervades so much of the album. “My One and Only Love,” one of the bonus tracks, brings the deluxe version of the album to a heartstring-tugging conclusion.
Not every song holds up. “More I Cannot Wish You” (from Guys and Dolls) has a tendency to drag. “The Inch Worm” is somewhat flat. Paul has to stretch a bit to reach the last high note on “Only Our Hearts.” A more surprising failure is “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” which really should be a lot more fun than it is here; there’s a playful lightness to the song that McCartney doesn’t fully explore. But the album’s successes readily make up for the few weaknesses.
One of McCartney’s original songs is “My Valentine,” a haunting number strongly reminiscent of “My Funny Valentine.” And “Baby’s Request,” another bonus track, is a natural inclusion; originally from McCartney’s 1979 Back to the Egg album, it’s well in keeping with the sentimental spirit of the album. McCartney covers songs previously done by Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra on this album; one can easily imagine those artists performing either one of these originals.
Overall, this is a great record offering an insightful look at McCartney’s influences, which were just as key to The Beatles’ sound as the work of Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley.
Order the album here.
Read more about Paul's album at John Lennon Examiner.
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