Memory Almost Full: Paul McCartney Does it Again

Hard to believe, but Paul McCartney is releasing his 21st solo album this coming Tuesday, June 5th! It is the first album to debut on Starbucks' new Hear Music label, and has caught a lot of media attention. The album itself comes in three forms - a standard CD, a deluxe limited edition CD, and an iTunes digital version. I have been lucky enough to hear the standard edition in its entirity and I have to agree with the critics' acclaim. It is another remarkable album, and I can't get the song sout of my head.

The album kicks off with Ever Present Past - the first single, which has been getting a lot of radio play, and is available for download now on iTunes. It's a catchy song with a great hook that will have you singing it hours after the first listen. The lyrics themselves are retrospective, like the album title. When David Kahne, the producer of the album had been asked to describe the album in one word, he said "personal," and that comes across withing the first few seconds.

The next song, Dance Tonight is the UK single. The video for the song premiered on YouTube last Wednesday, and has been aired on HSN recently. It's an upbeat, happy song with amazing bass work and Paul playing his new mandolin. Watch the video at www.youtube.com/paulmccartney.

See Your Sunshine follows, a simple yet beautiful song with another classic McCartney bass line. It's mellow yet upbeat and catchy with a few melodic surprises that caught me off guard the first time, but are now my favorite parts of the song. Next, Only Mama Knows, is a great rocker that starts off with classical-sounding strings, but then kicks into a strong rock song with strong McCartney vocals. You Tell Me, the next song on the list, is a slow, remote-sounding song, with Paul sounding as if he's remembering a time long ago.