Paul McCartney's New Offering

A lovely bright, but very cold day here in rural Norfolk. So shut up in the study once again sorting out tax payments, invoices and other really dull stuff whilst listening to Kisses on the Bottom - the new CD from Paul McCartney.

Opinion on this CD is going to be really split between those who enjoy the jazzy Michael Bubble style and those who think it's a bit of a cop out. Essentially McCartney has recorded a number of his favourite songs from his childhood citing the influence his father had on his musical upbringing. Incidentally the name of the album comes from a line in one of the songs referring to a letter and not to some strange sexual fantasy!

Some would argue that there are just too many established artists bringing out albums of cover versions and this could be because they have nothing new or original to say. Of course Macca is too much of a legend to accuse him of that. He doesn't have to do this and it can scarcely be motivated by financial need. So is it any good? Well to me it's too laid back. The songs are too well known to anyone with an interest in music of the past. McCartney does cherish and lend a good feel to the songs, but they have all been done so many times before.

Some people will love the album, others will hate it and I'm veering somewhere in the middle. There are two new McCartney compositions and My Valentine is possibly the most enjoyable track on the album. It fits in beautifully with all the other tracks and makes me wonder why he didn't write an entire album of original material in this style. That would have been something to get the critics drooling and also something adventurous to achieve.

The football transfer deadline came and went. Sky TV tried to big it up as a "sensational day" but in reality it was all pretty ordinary unless you are a QPR fan and there seems to be plenty to get excited by. Neil Warnock must be ready for another rant. He takes the team up, gets sacked and then they give his successor shed loads of money to spend to improve the team.

As for Norwich City, well they did some strange business. They bought a defender from Peterborough and promptly loaned him back to Posh for the rest of the season. Seems rather a strange thing to do and not sure how the Peterborough fans will react to watching a player they know will be leaving at the end of the season. They had a similar thing with Craig Mickail Smith last season.