Music Review: Ringo 2012

Well, I do like it more than Paul's Kisses on the Bottom. However, it is a bit of a mixed bag. I think the most obvious problem is the length. It's way too short. 9 songs, and only lasts about a half hour. Of those 9 songs, two are covers from past albums. "Step Lightly" is a forgotten track from the album Ringo. I usually skipped it on that LP. Needless to say I'm not thrilled with it's inclusion. It's basically the same song, just sped up. The second cover is "Wings" off of Ringo the 4th. I'll forgive that one because no one has ever listened to that disco train wreck of an album. It's actually a pretty good track, but again very similar to the original version. Ringo's cover of Buddy Holly's Think it Over is great. Unfortunately I already had that exact track from a Buddy Holly tribute album that came out a year ago. So really we are talking about 6 new tracks. Let's move on them them. The first is "Anthem." Spoiler alert: it's an anthem. I figured that out by the frequently repeated phrase "This is an anthem." If you have to tell them what it is then you have a problem. It's not one of my favorites, but it's solid. Next we have "Samba." Hold on to your hats, it's a samba. It's a bit of a call back to the track "Pasadobles" from his superior Liverpool 8 from 2007. It's a decent song, but doesn't really grab me. Moving on to "Rock Island Line." This a cover of an old blues song and is one of my favorite tracks. It's got a great feel and Ringo's vocals are energetic and really effective. That takes us in to "Wonderful." I find myself singing this one so I guess it's catchy. It's a little on the cutesy side though. The second to last track is "In Liverpool." My first reaction to seeing that was, "please Ringo, tell us more about Liverpool. You haven't done that to death." But once I listened to the track it quickly became my favorite of the album. It's got a great feeling and is fun to sing along to. (Hopefully this completes his trilogy of Liverpool songs.) Finally we have "Slow Down." The song I always forget. It's average at best.
So all in all, I'd say this is a good album. I'd put it above Y Not but below Liverpool 8. For my money the top tracks are "Rock Island Line," "In Liverpool" and "Think it Over." If you aren't a Ringo fan, this probably won't convert you. If you're like me and have an appreciation for Ringo's laid back, casual approach then I think this will make a good addition to your music library.