Paul McCartney's "New" Excites With Glorious Shades of Old

Make no mistake about it. If it's possible to age gracefully in the music industry, 71 year-old Paul McCartney has gifted us with a textbook example of how it ought to be done. He has the point in his favor that, even though it's not Beatlemania era anymore, he smartly weaves the wonderful language from that time in his collection simply called "New". Laugh all you want at an elder statesman trying to push that adjective past us, but he does manage to live up to that title. "On My Way To Work" is a picture book of bustling activity that rings true with all of us doing the one foot in front of the other, soldier marching to his cubicle routine (I know whereof I speak). Even in his more pensive moments, such as the closing chapter "Scared" it's very hard to think Sir Paul has run out of batteries. Bonus points to the piano player who has fully brought out the palpable fear of saying "I love you". If one were to envision Paul in studio bringing these words to life you might see his eyes frozen in terror as the words come out. Take any picture of fear you want in this case. You'll get the awe inspired brand of goosebumps listening to the track. The astute thing to do in making a video (yes, they still have those) would be to have Paul flanked on either side by smoke rising from a machine, strong, pure white light illuminating both he and his social misgivings. He plays the love game at other points such as "Turned Out". This cut is a showcase for the charm that was quite the match igniting Beatlemania. He was the ladies off their feet time then and, despite Father Time's intrusion, still gets their motors running today. "I Can Bet" demonstrates Paul channeling energy that would leave his contemporaries in awe. You honestly do a double take when you realize this man hasn't lost his vitality by a long shot. So long as the passion isn't faked I say good for him. "Road" is a million miles from the '60s. He's to be commended for hooking with a decidedly techno savvy team of note players. Daft Punk doesn't look like such an odd chart mate for him. It also signifies that, if Cher is the female musical chameleon, Sir Paul is her male equal. Try not to adopt the same facial expression you might give to a too cute puppy dog when sampling "Turned Out". In Paul's hands a declaration on the wonder of a good, strong love doesn't sound corny. "Get Me Out of Here" finds Paul having a little fun with his all-consuming celebrity. He could teach a master class on the mercilessness of the paparazzi. As an opening track "Save Us" is brilliant because not only does it usher us into Paul's continued ability to flat out rock, it fools us into thinking this is the only hat he'll be wearing. The Beatles were innovative with a capital "I". Paul hasn't lost his way with a song that reminds us that, where he's concerned, they really don't make 'em like that anymore. "New" blends roots based craftsmanship with an fearlessness for going forward. We're sort of united on being tentative around the unknown future. With Paul as our guide, being hopeful isn't dismissed as some juvenile mistake. He's a treasure who still symbolizes artistic cause for celebration. Prepare for a dizzying excursion minus the migraines dizziness conveys.