Look Up＜Opaque White Vinyl＞

Ringo Starr was a country music fan before it was cool. He took the lead vocal when the Beatles covered the Buck Owens hit "Act Naturally," he added some twang to The Beatles (aka The White Album) with "Dont Pass Me By," and his second solo album, 1970s Beaucoups of Blues, was a set of classic country covers recorded in Nashville with a crew of Music City session players. Its not that much of a surprise that Starr has decided to release a country-leaning album in 2025, but Look Up feels a bit different than one might expect. The record finds Ringo working beside T-Bone Burnett, the producer and songwriter who has been the go-to guy for folks looking to make a quality, tasteful roots music album for decades. When Starr asked Burnett if hed write a song for Ringos next recording project, Burnett dove in headfirst, contributing nine songs he either wrote or co-wrote and offering to produce the sessions as well, giving him his first shot at working with a former Beatle. Burnett brought in a team of solid, sympathetic musicians to back Starr (who handles drums as well as vocals, and sounds like his old self behind the kit), as well as guest stars like guitar hero Billy Strings, bluegrass heroine Molly Tuttle, harmony group Lucius, and crossover star Alison Krauss. The result has a warm, organic feel that meshes comfortably with Ringos country influences without forcing the issue or sounding like the typical Nashville product of the 2020s. This music is mature in feel and outlook, in the best ways. Burnetts songs prove to be a great fit for Starr; they have a philosophical and spiritual bent that suit both his pleasingly froggy voice and his "peace and love" personality, and his meditations on love, aging, and our place in this world sound all the more telling coming from an 84-year-old, one whos spry for his age but clearly knows hes not as young as he once was. He also sounds like hes OK with that -- Ringo has been a country fan long enough to remember when it was music that spoke most clearly to grown-ups dealing with the real world, and thats an outlook that he clearly feels comfortable with, especially on "Thankful," a sincere celebration of gratitude thats the one track here he wrote (in collaboration with Bruce Sugar). T-Bone Burnetts 2024 album The Other Side was a welcome return to the straightforward, heartfelt songwriting of his best work, and while Look Up is clearly Ringos album, the two LPs feel like siblings, each with a personality of its own but with a loving heart and a gentle soul thats eloquent and winning. Who knew Starr and Burnett would make such a great team? And who else hopes theyll try this again? ~ Mark Deming