Notofu.com: Ringo Starr
Published by: Notofu.com
Date: January 19, 2010
Format: Web (www.notofu.com)
Type: Music Review
Ringo Starr – Y Not
While Ringo Starr was one quarter of the most influential rock/pop band of all time and that band would be the one band that I would take with me to a desert island, and I would love to say that, even while pushing seventy-years-old, Ringo Starr is still relevant, but I cannot. Y Not is the former Beatles’ latest effort and it’s brimming with forgettable melodies, awkward, overly literal lyrics and a lot of cheese.
I’d love to be able to say that he’s earned a free pass, but I cannot. Even though he’s definitely the Beatle who gets the criticism for being untalented or not creative, I disagree. I think that he broke ground with his deliberate minimalism on the drums with The Beatles. So, I respect him, or what he has done. Had he chosen to fade away into the sunset somewhere, I would have nothing but admiration for him, but instead, he is one of those people who just can’t give it up and unfortunately, that means that we have to watch him fumbling.
Y Not, while essentially being Starr along with a host of studio musicians, does boast a hefty list of guest performances, something that he has always been known for in his solo work. Most notably is Paul McCartney, who lends vocals on “Walk With You” and plays bass on “Peace Dream.” Other guest spots include Joss Stone, Joe Walsh and Van Dyke Parks. “Walk With You,” which is the first time that the two have sung together on a recording in the post-Beatles era, is a high point of the collection. The two repeatedly sing the three-line chorus, “When I walk with you, when I talk with you, everything will be fine.” The line, which is sung by two people with so much history, together and individually, evokes imaginations of who they’re singing to and what it will actually be like when they do walk together again.
For the few high points though, there are too many lows that make Y Not an unmemorable record. It simply isn’t relevant pop music, and while there’s something that’s a little bit endearing about this legend who is out there making music that isn’t very good, but loving every second of it, in terms of pass or fail, this record fails and unfortunately, I can’t think of a reason why I would listen to it again.
1/5