CD Review; KISSES ON THE BOTTOM - Paul McCartney

69 year old music legend Paul McCartney has released something of a retrospective album of songs his parents beloved sons that helped to influence his own musical direction. On one hand, it's a very nice collection of digitally recorded standards crafted by one of the world's greatest artists. On the other hand, the album is yet another disappointing entry from a musician who once was known for his groundbreaking music when he was part of The Beatles.

KISSES ON THE BOTTOM unfortunately reminds me of one of those type of albums that someone like Linda Ronstadt recorded of easy listening classics after her own music "jumped the shark" and she was no longer a top selling pop act. Certainly, KISSES ON THE BOTTOM is a nice enough album. But, rock fans just won't be all that happy with this effort. Paul McCartney fans really want more music that's up to his Beatles' days standards. And this sure isn't it.

There are a couple of new songs here by Paul McCartney. But, neither are his best creations ever written.

Fans of The Beatles and Paul McCartney will buy this album solely because it will complete their collections. But, let's hope that Paul McCartney has a few better albums that this in his future before he decides to retire from music.

KISSES ON THE BOTTOM is Paul McCartney's 15th solo album. But it's such a lightweight collection of songs compared to what the legend is really capable of. Paul McCartney's solo career includes major milestones such as BAND ON THE RUN, but also some junk albums such as WILD LIFE, the first Wings album that sounded more like a quickly recorded contractual obligation album that anything, with many of the songs recorded in just one take, and sure sounding like it. Even the presence of Denny Laine, the former leader of The Moody Blues, didn't seem to elevate this album to higher standards of excellence. In the scheme of all things, KISSES ON THE BOTTOM is another of Paul McCartney's weaker effort albums.

The Bottom Line: Far from the best Paul McCartney album ever released, although certainly far more polished than weak efforts such as WILD LIFE. **(Two Stars, Fair. If you need to complete your Paul McCartney collection, or are looking for a soft romantic music album suitable for St. Valentine's Day, then get this album. Otherwise, you might want to skip it).