"Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" by Paul McCartney – *

First released: 2005

I have finally come to some conclusions about this album. First of all, it is an album that you really love or really hate. Those who really love it tend to be first generation fans and probably find it hard to rock out anymore, just like McCartney. For me, a second generation fan, I find it very pedestrian and plodding with only three standout songs ("Fine Line", "English Tea", and "Jenny Wren"), the rest are truly dispensable and seem unfinished. I long for the days when McCartney could compose a rocker. It’s amazing that while McCartney’s releasing drivel such as this, he can go out on tour and belt out "Helter Skelter" at the top of his lungs every night. He has the vocal capacity still in his mid-60s for a powerful rocker, yet he always seems to want to write yet another variation on "Yesterday". McCartney, you already wrote it! Try to make albums more like "Flaming Pie", your last good one! Postscript: Since I originally wrote this, Paul has! (See "Memory Almost Full".)