Recording of July 2026: Paul McCartney: The Boys of Dungeon Lane

When it was announced that Sir Paul McCartney was about to release a nostalgic, autobiographical new album, named after a Liverpool street, outsize hopes sprang anew. The surviving half of the most influential songwriting duo in popular music ever was releasing his 18th solo album. What would The Boys of Dungeon Lane add to that rich story? At the very least, it was hoped, listeners might gain some insight into one of the world's most celebrated musicians, now in his ninth decade.

The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Sir Paul's first album since his surprisingly pleasing COVID woodshed project, 2020's McCartney III, does offer bits of what's in the heart of his seemingly inextinguishable creative engine. Yet this nostalgic look back at humble beginnings in Liverpool is less revealing than many had apparently hoped it would be. A slight but audible sepia emotional tone hovers over these 14 tracks. Paul's usual energies toward making pop music are more subdued. His voice has aged. But while he can't stretch vocally quite like he used to, there's enough of the old fire to make certain vocal turns work. His screams in the opening track, "As You Lie There," still have some of the fire he employed in "Twist and Shout" and "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" And when he dials his voice back to tender, as in "Days We Left Behind," it may not be "The Long and Winding Road," but that creaky, wistful whisper still communicates the deep emotion he feels.

What's here suggests that Paul isn't haunted by the past, or that he isn't willing to expose doubt. The closest he comes is in "Lost Horizon," where he sings, "That sound—can lift me up/That sound—can do my head in/That sound—can take me back to the lost horizon/Where every memory we shared/Brought us closer together/and every day we spent there/Was the start of the/first day of forever."

Source: stereophile.com

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