The line between country music and pop rock keeps getting fuzzier. Taylor Swift started out as a country artist. Now she’s one of the biggest pop stars in history. Beyonce, another one of the biggest pop stars in history with more Grammys than anyone needs, delivered a country album of her own in 2024. Even country legend Dolly Parton switched genres for her 2023 rock-pop album Rockstar. With the buzz of the new breed of country music stars coming out of Nashville, and a wave of non-country music personalities embracing country music, having one of the living Beatles on board makes complete sense. so, Ringo Starr has tossed his ten-gallon Stetson into the ring with a country record of his called Look Up.
You have to give the drummer a little leeway with regards to his jumping on the country bandwagon. Starr’s love of country music stretches back to his childhood. He sang country-flavored tunes like Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On,” and “Don’t Pass Me By” with the Beatles. Beaucoups Of Blues, his second solo album released in 1970, is a pure county music record, an ode to Starr’s love of the genre, recorded in Nashville with reputable country music musicians. So yeah, if anyone has the right to record a country music record, Ringo Starr has the credentials.
Look Up is arguably more “Americana” than “country” in the traditional, which is really what makes it one of Starr’s best albums in years. It doesn’t hurt he surrounded himself with A-listers like T Bone Burnett, who produced, played on, and co-wrote most of the album’s 11 songs. Bluegrass sensations Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle also contribute, singing and playing on several songs. Americana rock roots duo Larkin Poe; Bluegrass, country, and occasional pop singer Alison Krauss; and indie pop rock duo Lucious (Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig) provide background vocals and minor instrumentation to others. Top-notch players like steel guitarist Paul Franklin, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Tashian, bassist Dennis Crouch, longtime Willie Nelson harmonica player Mickey Raphael, and even brother-in-law, guitarist Joe Walsh, make sure Look Up resonates with a country music feel.
The opening “Breathless” with Billy Strings sets a nice, backwoods tone. Starr’s endearing and simple vocal style slips around every number with little effort. He and Tuttle deliver on the promise of the title track, which might be more rock than country. “Time On My Hands” shuffles slowly along a twangy highway, while a swampy vibe and Raphael’s harmonica drive “Never Let Me Go,” another one with Strings as well, through a deep southern trace.
Tuttle, dotting the I’s on guitar and crossing the T’s on mandolin, rejoins Starr to harmonize on the romantic ballad, “I Live For Your Love.” She then takes the spotlight on “Can You Hear Me Call,” the album’s only duet with Starr. Elsewhere, Lucious brightens “Come Back” as does Franklin’s pedal steel work on “You Want Some.” The thoughtful “String Theory” sees Tuttle and Larkin Poe smoothing out the harmonies behind Starr’s steadfast vocal. The flowing melody of “Thankful” with Krauss lining the chorus finishes Look Up on an inspiring high note.
To call Look Up a country music album is to limit its scope, which reaches beyond the parameters of what most people consider country music. That doesn’t stop it from being everything good about country music — pitch perfect vocals blending seamlessly with a mesh of fiddles, pedal steels, mandolins, guitars, piano, underscored by subtle strokes of bass and percussion. No matter where it lands on the playlist, Look Up is a valid and vibrant statement from a man who could rest on his laurels. At 84 with his chops intact, an active recording career, musicians teething to jam with him, plus family members, friends, and legions of supporters, you have to wonder if things can get any sweeter for Ringo Starr? Clearly, being a Beatle with a strong work ethic and healthy disposition has its advantages.
~ Shawn Perry
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