Ringo just released his 19th record, titled "Give More Love."
I'm a big Beatles and Ringo fan. At 77, I give him credit for still making music. He surrounds himself with the best musicians, as he does here, with friends like Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh joining him.
Ringo stated that 2017 was supposed to be a year he was off the road and relaxed. Instead, a new ablum dropped and Ringo hits the road again next month for a brief American tour.
When asked why, at age 77, he doesn't slow down, Ringo replied "It's what I do."
"Give More Love" was originally intended to be a country album. But Ringo and his collaborators ( including one of my favorites, Richard Marx) started gathering more songs on the rock and blues side, so "Give More Love" was born.
It's a diverse collection of songs. I like the opener, "Back On The Road Again" which features Paul on bass. It's a good rocker. Unfortunately, the momentum isn't sustained.
"Laughable", co-written with Frampton, is a good song, a veiled reference to the Trump administration and what's going on in America these days.
"Speed Of Sound" is also a catchy tune.So is "Show Me The Way" ( not the Frampton song). The rest of the album is hit-and-miss. The country-ish "So Wrong For So Long" gives one a hint of what could have been. There is no stand-out song in the bunch, such as "It Don't Come Easy" or "Goodnight Vienna."
The bonus four songs at the end, remakes of "Back off Bugaloo" and "Photograph" for instance, are almost like demos. I don't get the point in including the old stuff. You can't improve upon perfection.
Give Ringo credit for trying. The thing about Ringo is no matter what he puts out, his voice, never strong anyway, is always familiar, calming and comfy. New music from Ringo makes you feel good. The problem with the album is in the writing, not the production, musicians or Ringo himself. But even an average Ringo is better than no Ringo, so enjoy!
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