RINGO STARR

Look Up (Lost Highway)

Anyone familiar with the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album track What Goes On will know that Ringo Starr, who sings lead on it, is no stranger to country music. Indeed, his admiration for the style runs mighty deep, and 60 years after Rubber Soul we find him hooking up with longstanding friend T-Bone Burnett to co-write the country-styled Look Up.

Burnett’s collaborative CV includes Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, the latter of whom adds vocal finesse to Thankful here; his soundtrack work is also widely recognised, and accordingly there’s a cinematic edge to Look Up. Think of an alternate soundtrack to Midnight Cowboy, with Ringo replacing Harry Nilsson, and you’ll be close.

Time On My Hands feels like a classic in the making, and gems such as Breathless and Never Let Me Go shouldn’t go unnoticed either. Ringo’s voice is the best it has ever been throughout, with Burnett’s guitar playing on point, and Paul Franklin’s emotive pedal steel work deserves a nod of approval. Look Up holds its own in comparison to country royalty from Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson.

words DAVID NOBAKHT