Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full CD

There are other artists of the same era who seem content to live out the rest of their musical days with their back catalogs and covers of other artists.

And then there's Paul McCartney. It seems that the longer he goes, the more daring he gets -- experimenting, reaching, challenging himself.

Memory Almost Full is full of surprises. Although some similarities are inevitable, it isn't like anything The Beatles or Wings ever did, and it may well be the best solo album he has even done.

We've been expecting something of an autobiographical retrospective with this album, and, in fact, the six song medley that makes up the second half of the CD is just that. But there is such diversity of lyrical themes, music styles and vocal range throughout the album, you almost forget that Macca is almost 65 and has earned the right to reminisce a bit.

Talk about surprises. "Only Mama Knows" starts with lush strings then erupts into some of the hardest electric guitar rock McCartney has ever recorded.

"Mr. Bellamy" is quirky and funny, and leaves you wondering whether it's an eccentric man or a stubborn cat who is refusing to come down from a tree. The fact that you aren't sure just adds to the fun.

If you want it to, "Gratitude" could either be yet another ode to McCartney's late wife, Linda or an up-tempo gospel song.

"Vintage Clothes" leads off the retrospective medley, but opens with the cautionary lines, 'Don't live in the past, don't hold on to something that's changing fast.'

If you doubt that McCartney is one of the greatest songwriters, living or dead, listen to "The End of The End." On the day that I die I'd like jokes to be told, and stories of old to be rolled out like carpets that children have played on and laid on while listening to stories of old ...

Lyrically and musically this album is as good as anything McCartney has ever done. In fact, he had started work on it before he recorded Chaos and Creation in the Backyard in 2005. Although, as on that album, McCartney handles a lot of the instruments himself, this time around he also taps his talented tour band: Abe Laboreal, Jr. on drums, Rusty Anderson on guitar, Brian Ray on bass, and Wix Wickens on keyboards.

Whereas Chaos and Creation was heavily influenced by producer Nigel Godrich, Memory Almost Full is heavily influenced by Paul McCartney. The result is a much more personal and more natural sounding album than the previous one.

What can I say? Get it, listen to it, enjoy it, and appreciate the artistry of a gifted musician and lyricist who is clearly still in his prime.