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Jan 24, 2025These are well-written, well-delivered songs. Look Up works because Ringo is being taken seriously. He is, of course, his own worst enemy at times, but Burnett won’t allow Ringo to stray too far into ‘personality’ songs. [Feb 2025, p.102]
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Jan 10, 2025The result has a warm, organic feel that meshes comfortably with Ringo's country influences without forcing the issue or sounding like the typical Nashville product of the 2020s. This music is mature in feel and outlook, in the best ways.
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Jan 10, 2025His wheelhouse has always been in conveying emotion, profound sincerity and of course his stellar storytelling, and ‘Look Up’ is the perfect showcase for him to do that.
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Jan 15, 2025Yes, there are more ambitious, more cerebral new country albums out there. But you can’t deny that every string plucked and word sung on Look Up—a very, very welcome return to form—is full of heart.
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Jan 10, 2025Burnett appreciates the fine points of Ringoism the way he appreciates the folkways of the country tradition. He also doesn’t sweat it if the vocals occasionally venture an inch or three out of tune. As a result, Look Up is the sound of Ringo being himself, the least jaded rock star in the universe, which is exactly what we want from this wise old sage.
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Jan 13, 2025The sidelining of his talents on the kit is a disappointment, but it’s not a deal breaker. On the whole, Look Up succeeds for the same reasons that Beaucoups of Blues did: songs that play to Starr’s vocal strengths, a sympathetic supporting cast, and a natural, Nashville feel.
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Jan 22, 2025The constant more-is-more approach is no doubt a blast for the pickers in the studio, and it’ll probably sound cool live, but on the record, there’s an airlessness to it all. This isn’t always the case - the classy “String Theory” stands out for its delicate instrumentation built around subtle lap steel and sturdy stand up bass. This does however serve to bring Starr’s vocals to the fore.
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Jan 10, 2025A little bit of Ringo goes a long way, which has been the challenge of his solo career. The good news is that his 20th album may genuinely be his best since the post-Beatles highs of the 1970s.
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Jan 15, 2025Ringo remains Ringo, for better and worse. And in keeping with the hangdog Ringo persona this isn’t even the best country-adjacent album by a Beatle. It’s an album for Ringo Starr, and if we can’t give it any sort of adulation, we can at least respect its intentions, and those of the artists who made it.