Driving Rain
Paul McCartney's ability to rise to a challenge has been one of the  least appreciated aspects of his artistically speckled post-Beatlescareer. Having exorcized a few personal demons and historic rock & roll ghosts  on his previous, mostly obscure covers collection,Run, Devil Run, this marks Mac's first full album of new songs since the passing of his wife,  Linda. Gratifyingly, it's also by turns mature, musically restless, and  personally reflective--and ultimately an album that stands alongsideTug of WarandFlowers in the Dirtas one of his best solo efforts. Informed by David Kahne's warmly low-key yet  gritty production and McCartney's still formidable pipes, there are few traces  of the candy-ass pop and precious sentiment that have long vexed fans and  detractors alike. Even the jaunty title track (with its "1-2-3-4-5" chorus  recalling the Fabs' "All Together Now") seems infused with a welcome edge.  There's a renewed sense of emotional connection throughout, reflected in efforts  that seem to address his own personal tragedy (the unsettled "Lonely Road,"  melancholy "From a Lover to a Friend," and plaintive "I Do"). And then there's  the quietly haunting "She's Given Up Talking" and the bluesy irony of "Back in  the Sunshine Again" and "Rinse the Raindrops." It all revolves around a  bittersweet, hard-won sense of hope; the bright, neoclassical "Heather" pays  tribute to his new love with an elegant, "Abbey Road"-worthy instrumental  prologue that builds to a single brief verse of playfully heartfelt prose. That  track and the seductive Eastern motifs of "Riding into Jaipur" (with its even  more succinct verbiage) also underscore a feeling that Mac's best musical  instincts and artistic curiosity are far from dormant. The CD includes the bonus  live track "Freedom," his simple anthem to the events of September 11, 2001, and  their historic aftermath. The man who once sang "All You Need Is Love" is now  ready to "fight for the right to freedom"; the times have indeed been a- changin'.--Jerry McCulley