Paul McCartney - Kisses on the bottom
The title of this album is nothing saucy, it’s actually a line from a song by Fats Waller which Paul McCartney covers on this well-crafted nostalgic collection.
Many of these songs he first heard his father play on the family piano – tunes which owe a lot to Tin Pan Alley, that dominant force of American publishing and songwriting in late 19th and early 20th century.
Normally McCartney tackles the instruments as well as the vocals on his albums but this time he’s brought in session musicians and a few famous guests: Eric Clapton on the single My Valentine, Stevie Wonder lending vocals and a harmonica solo to Only Our Hearts and Diana Krall at the piano for I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter.
Kisses On The Bottom is well-chosen stuff, the kind of music which inspired the more whimsical side of the Beatles’ back catalogue.
Download this – Always
JOHN TOLSON