Ringo Starr – ‘Look Up’ album review: There’s no peace and love in this rootin’-tootin’ town
THE SKINNY: I write this review from the UK at the height of winter as nights roll in before they should and the temperature is below zero. I play the new Ringo Starr album in these decrepit times and grow colder still, as what The Beatles drummer offers on his new country album is distant and standoffish. A genre that often produces warmth and comfort achieves the opposite and is so lacklustre that it becomes the sonic equivalent of leaving a loved one on read. There are enough good moments to make this enjoyable, but it’s hard to think of it as much more than an exercise in genre expansion.
We need to have some self-awareness before going into this record. The only way Starr could ever have a fair swing at an album roll-out would be if he did it under a different moniker and didn’t attach himself to it whatsoever. The mere sight of his name is enough for prejudgement, a strange combination of having zero expectations and high expectations simultaneously. At the end of the day, IT’S RINGO STARR! But also… It’s Ringo Starr. On top of that, add to the fact that he’s making a country album, and the Liverpudlian adorns that cover with a cowboy hat on; it’s hard going into this album without at least a little trepidation.
I tried incredibly hard not to let these prejudices impact me when reviewing the album. However, even if you never saw the cover art, if you never knew the album was coming out, and if you had no idea what Starr’s plan was with the record, Ringo Starr singing country songs is so clearly and undeniably Ringo Starr singing country songs, that those predispositions just rise right back to the surface the minute you hit play.
This all sounds very negative for a three-star review, but it earns every one of the pointed markers of praise. It’s not bad at all. The music is great, the production is excellent, the backing singers have a sweet, undeniable serenity, and the songs are decent. You can’t listen to this record and say that it is definitively terrible because it isn’t at all. People will likely try and say that it is, and that’s their prerogative, but as far as music goes, you can do much worse than Look Up.
I hate to say it, but where this album falls down is Ringo. He has an unmissable voice, and the reason it’s unmissable is because it lacks any warmth or emotion (dare I say… “peace and love”). It’s an easy joke to make these days, given that everyone seems to say it, but it sounds like someone has asked AI to make Ringo Starr sing country. A genre that is famous because of its relatability, warmth, and grounded nature lacks all three of those things.
Look Up is technically sound, but the focal point fails to deliver on the key aspects that help us lean towards country music. We end up with a shell of a record, missing out on humility and depth. It’s not a terrible album to listen to, but there are much better out there.
For fans of: Ringo Starr and bone idleness.
A concluding comment from an AI Ringo Starr: “Peace and love. That sounds like a cracking country album to me, man. Peace and love. Peace and love.”
Look Up track by track:
Release date: January 10th | Label: Lost Highway | Producer: T Bone Burnett
‘Breathless’: There’s a lot left to be desired on the opening track. The music sounds clean but unimaginative as if someone has gone on to YouTube and looked up “Royalty-free country music”. Starr’s lyrics are also a blanket declaration of love; he sounds completely blasé when singing. It’s a song that shows dissonance rather than adoration. [2/5]
‘Look Up’: This is one of the more compelling songs on the album. The guitar line stands out, as it has attitude and feels like it has been put there intentionally, as opposed to a lot of this record, which feels like it has just been thrown together. Starr’s vocals still leave much to be desired, but he puts more effort towards the outro, and the chorus’s rhythm is at least catchy. [3/5]
‘Time On My Hands’: We see silhouettes of country in this song. The intro, which is stripped back and leaves Starr’s vocals of “Now these arms are empty, and I’ve got time on my hands,” feels somewhat raw and vulnerable. The instrumentation throughout the track is equally solemn. ‘Time On My Hands’ is a more genuine offering and a representation of what I’m assuming Starr was going for throughout. [3/5]
‘Never Let Me Go’: A song that sounds like Ringo Starr doing an impression of a country singer as opposed to Ringo Starr actually singing a country song. If it were a person, it would be a poorly executed fancy dress costume. [1/5]
‘I Live For Your Love’: Am I reading into things too much? Is this song a metaphor, Ringo Starr proclaiming he doesn’t dwell on his life in the Beatles and doesn’t worry about his legacy, but instead just lives for the fact people continue to enjoy his work? Is that the meaning behind the song, Ringo? Or is it just another baseless love song because that’s what they told you to write in Country Songs 101? Ringo? Which one is it, Ringo? [???/5]
‘Come Back’: The backing singers are great in this song, and the harmonies throughout the chorus are wonderful. For any other comments, see above; the sentiment remains the same. [1.5/5]
‘Can You Hear Me Call’: It’s worth pointing out that Molly Tuttle does the majority of backing singing on this album, and she’s very good. Even if slight, her harmonies provide some emotion to what would otherwise be pretty emotionless songs. ‘Can You Hear Me Call’ sees her take more of a front seat and subsequently is one of the better songs on the album. [3/5]
‘Rosetta’: A much more brooding offering. The instrumentation stays true to its country roots but has a darker feel. It’s also nice of Starr to give a name to the love interest he’s nonchalantly singing about in this track. There is no risk of overcomplicated metaphors here. Also, the guitar in this song is fantastic, with excellent solos and spades of attitude. [2.5/5]
‘You Want Some’: A jaunty two-step beat designed for dancing. It’s a fun little listen; the pitfalls that protrude over the whole LP persist, but it’s a tough song to dislike. [3/5]
‘String Theory’: Is this Ringo Starr’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’? Apparently, except for what it lacks in being profound, it makes up for in being nonsensical. A love song to music comes across as the ramblings of a teenager who has listened to ‘Hey Jude’ for the first time. This is a comical offering and the worst song on the album quite easily. [0.5/5]
‘Thankful’: A more personal song (which feels like a pretty moot point on an album that doesn’t let the listener in once), but it sees Starr talk about feeling lost in success and turning away from loved ones as a result. 30 seconds in, it turns into another blanket love song, but I’ll take victories in small mercies at this point and be somewhat thankful for this closer. [2.5/5]
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