Driving Rain

A RE-ISSUE OF SIR PAUL McCARTNEY'S CLASSIC 2001 ALBUM

Driving Rain marks Sir Paul McCartney's first full album of new songs since the passing of his wife, Linda. Gratifyingly, it's also by turns mature, musically restless, and personally reflective--and ultimately an album that stands as one of his best solo efforts. There's a renewed sense of emotional connection throughout, reflected in efforts that seem to address his own personal tragedy.

The CD includes the bonus live track "Freedom," his simple anthem to the events of September 11, 2001, and their historic aftermath.

Paul McCartney's ability to rise to a challenge has been one of the least appreciated aspects of his artistically speckled post-Beatles career. Having exorcized a few personal demons and historic rock & roll ghosts on his previous, mostly obscure covers collection, Run, Devil Run, this marks Mac's first full album of new songs since the passing of his wife, Linda. Gratifyingly, it's also by turns mature, musically restless, and personally reflective--and ultimately an album that stands alongside Tug of War and Flowers in the Dirt as one of his best solo efforts. Informed by David Kahne's warmly low-key yet gritty production and McCartney's still formidable pipes, there are few traces of the candy-ass pop and precious sentiment that have long vexed fans and detractors alike. Even the jaunty title track (with its "1-2-3-4-5" chorus recalling the Fabs' "All Together Now") seems infused with a welcome edge. There's a renewed sense of emotional connection throughout, reflected in efforts that seem to address his own personal tragedy (the unsettled "Lonely Road," melancholy "From a Lover to a Friend," and plaintive "I Do"). And then there's the quietly haunting "She's Given Up Talking" and the bluesy irony of "Back in the Sunshine Again" and "Rinse the Raindrops." It all revolves around a bittersweet, hard-won sense of hope; the bright, neoclassical "Heather" pays tribute to his new love with an elegant, "Abbey Road"-worthy instrumental prologue that builds to a single brief verse of playfully heartfelt prose. That track and the seductive Eastern motifs of "Riding into Jaipur" (with its even more succinct verbiage) also underscore a feeling that Mac's best musical instincts and artistic curiosity are far from dormant. The CD includes the bonus live track "Freedom," his simple anthem to the events of September 11, 2001, and their historic aftermath. The man who once sang "All You Need Is Love" is now ready to "fight for the right to freedom"; the times have indeed been a- changin'. --Jerry McCulley