Being part of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Wings and then his own solo stuff has meant that Paul McCartney has amassed a huge catalogue of songs. Songs that people have loved big time. So it should not be a surprise that a huge tribute album spanning forty-two songs. It also should not be surprising that huge names appear on the album. Huge acts from a variety of musical genres as the man’s music has touched one and all. Acts like Corinne Bailey Rae, Billy Joel, Kiss, Bob Dylan, Heart, Harry Connick Jr., Owl City, Chrissie Hynde, and Alice Cooper all bring their own sensibilities to a McCartney track. Actually that would be optimal but actually most of the artists just perform karaoke covers of the songs. Some are downright dreadful and sound like parodies. Only a few actually reinterpret the songs. Those few like Cat Stevens, Brian Wilson and Willie Nelson come out the other better for it. You would expect better due to the quality of the source material, the talent of the musicians and the capabilities of the producer. Even for big McCartney fans there is precious little here worth more than one listen to.
Various Artists – The Art of McCartney
