Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full

I have to admit that when I was first asked to review this record for Scenestars, I laughed - a lot. Sure, Sir Paul is one of my favorite songwriters of all-time and probably deserves a free pass to put out whatever dreck he throws together from now to eternity. But that doesn't make McCartney's last thirty or so years of mostly tepid, cloying pop songs any more listenable. I honestly can't say which would be worse: a ten hour root-canal with no anesthesia, or a full spin of of McCartney's pandering post-09/11 clunker "Freedom." And then there's the fact that the record label behind Memory Almost Full, Hear Music, is a subsidiary of the dreaded Starbucks corporation. That's strike two right there for those keeping score at home . . .I also have to admit that after a few critical listens, I find that Memory Almost Full is McCartney's most enjoyable and heartfelt effort since the Wings-era, which may not be saying much. But thankfully, the album is all-but free of the pointless-pop and clumsy political statements that marred the legend's last several releases. In their place, we find a more deeply thoughtful and sentimental McCartney - whether he's lamenting lost loves or musical endeavors gone south on "Ever Present Past," I'll probably never know for sure, but I do know this: it's a good rock song, and not the only one to be found on Memory Almost Full. "Dance Tonight," the album's opener, is as infectious and fun as a folk-rock ditty should be allowed, the playful "Vintage Clothes" is clever-Paul at his best.Memory Almost Full is also McCartney's most musically adventurous effort since the Fab Four days, unless you count his forgotten '90s flirtation with electronica as the Fireman. At different times, the production and musical arrangements recall some of the brighter ideas of Macca-contemporaries the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin and Queen. All manner of psychedelia - affected strings, big horns, fuzzed-out guitars, heavily-layered vocals - provides an interesting framework for a solid collection of songs that marks a welcome, if not unexpected artistic comeback/assertion from a true rock legend.