Ringo Starr
Y Not

THE REVIEW

 A tough job for a Beatles fan, reviewing a Ringo album. A tough job for anyone who pretends to understand a little bit about what revolves around the 7 notes, to give a good score to this album.

I try, to let objectivity prevail, to close my eyes and forget that the person behind the 10 tracks of "Y NOT" is the same one who, with his stumbling and unique style, contributed to the sound of albums like Abbey Road, etc.

But I can do it, forget about it... and what I hear I like little or not at all. Ringo appears as a co-writer on all the tracks, and that already says a lot about his songwriting skills, never really exploded because, simply, nonexistent... The production is good, the sounds, overall, less embarrassing than many previous ones. Some tracks have a good rhythm, punctuated by the immortal and essential beat style of the world's most famous drummer; excellent musicians make their mark without overdoing it, giving the work a gloss of professionalism and good taste... which is then irreparably ruined by Ringo's adenoids.

When it is not doubled by the good Samaritan of the moment or masked by some effect (see "Fill in the Blanks"), Ringo's voice is at times embarrassing, and makes almost unlistenable tracks already poor in melody and noteworthy musical ideas. Just note the difference, in "Walk with You", between the solo verses or the good chorus in which nothing less than his majesty McCartney Paul lends a hand... the middle eight, where Ringo is alone again, is really awful.

Coincidentally, perhaps the most enjoyable track of the entire project is "Who's Your Daddy" in which Joss Stone bursts in as lead vocals, leaving Ringo the burden of ruining only the backing vocals...

I note in "Peace Dream" continual references to the late John Lennon, in "Time" incoherent attempts at philosophizing covered by a good musical background setup, and in "Mystery of the Night" something appreciable from a melodic point of view, also thanks to powerful vocal reinforcements and top-level guitars (it is perhaps the most enjoyable track, middle eight aside).

"Can't Do It Wrong" is a classic blues with plenty of brass, cheerful but easily forgettable, and "Y Not", which gives the entire project its title, works pretty well thanks to some good ideas in the production phase. Ringo even throws in some slightly more daring interludes... a rare thing. The song really takes off when the others sing, anyway...

In short, what can I say... yet another proof of a solo career by a music legend, which since the good old days travels always on the same medium-low standards. Nothing new. No news, good news, right?

Ringo, by the way... thanks for existing.