4Play: The Fireman, Yusef Islam, Ringo Starr, Ian Hunter

Nov. 29, 2009

The Fireman - Electric Arguments - ATO
The Fireman - otherwise known as some random guy named Paul McCartney - serves as McCartney’s latest experimental music project, in which he teamed up with hipster producer Youth, and in which all of the tracks were written and recorded in a mere day with McCartney playing all of the instruments. McCartney’s impressiveness as a musician simply never seems to wane, as evidenced here by songs like “Nothing Too Much, Just Out of Sight” which recollects some of his more complex Beatles songs; “Sing the Changes” is big and epic; and “Sun is Shining” particularly showcases McCartney’s astounding gift for melody. It’s optimistic, creative, and inherently McCartney.


Yusef Islam - Roadsinger - Ume
Our second mystifying moniker this week is Islam, otherwise known as Cat Stevens, a fact that, unfortunately, bears repeating each time Islam’s music is mentioned, simply due to the fact that Stevens had such a firmly-established career before his name change. That said - on to the music. His warm, plaintive vocals complement his compositions in a self-possessed, quietly bold fashion, from the romantic “Thinking ‘Bout You” to the string-accompanied storytelling on “The Rain,” from the isolationist questions of “This Glass World” to the horn-graced “Everytime I Dream.” Much like the title suggests, it’s a striking musical journey.



Ringo Starr - Liverpool 8 - Capitol
And in our second appearance from a Beatle in this particular column is Mr. Ringo Starr, who returns in classic Ringo form. Starr is nowhere near as inventive or forward-moving with his music as McCartney; instead he pretty much sticks to his well-known and well-received Ringo formula compositionally and production-wise, as he continues to work with long-time collaborator Mark Hudson. Topically on this album, he sings mostly about love, his days with The Beatles, and his own mortality, the best tunes being the winsome title track, the poppy “Now That She’s Gone Away”; the catchy if corny “Give It a Try,” and the encouraging “Love Is.”



Ian Hunter - Man Overboard - New West
One of the most interesting songs on Hunter’s newest effort is simply called “Flowers,” on which he takes a new musical look at the custom of flower-gifting, and what we could learn from the many reasons why flowers are given. This is only a start to Hunter’s personal insights, some delivered in quite an, er, forthright manner. His raspy voice, fully intact at the unbelievable age of 70, showcases his sometimes cantankerous viewpoints, but his sensitivity still peeks through on songs like “These Feelings,” the harmonica-accompanied title song, and the galloping “Babylon Blues.” Rockers half his age could learn a few things from this one.