Ringo Starr is back in all of his delicious Ringo-ness. His new album, Y Not, has everything you expect from a Ringo Starr album. That’s because it sounds like every other Ringo Starr album (excluding Beaucoups of Blues).
Ringo continues with what he does best on Y Not -- pop rock with a vintage rock undercurrent and excellent instrumentation (he‘s always backed by the best musicians in the business). He may have been a Beatle, but he doesn’t have the Beatles taste for experimentation. Maybe it’s because he “don’t smoke it no more.” Maybe he should start again. I, for one, would love an album of “Octopus’s Garden.”
Sounding the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It means that the listeners know exactly what to expect. If you like Ringo’s voice, which I am not particularly enamored with, you will like this album.
Even if you aren’t crazy about Ringo’s golden pipes, there are some pretty good songs on Y Not, like his autobiographical tune “The Other Side of Liverpool,” and his duet with Paul McCartney “Walk With You.” My personal favorite song on Y Not is the closing track, “Who’s Your Daddy?” a duet with Joss Stone that gives off an awesomely dirty pedobear vibe. Now we know what happens in the break room at Shining Time Station.
Ringo to spend his 70th birthday at Radio City
This year, Ringo will be 70 years all. It’s a little bit shocking to imagine a Beatle at 70 (the “When I’m 64” jokes have all gone away), but Ringo is still going strong. Ringo will be spending his birthday, July 7th, on stage at Radio City Music Hall. Can we expect a rousing version of “Birthday?”
Y Not.
Grade for Ringo Starr, Y Not: B-
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