Ringo Starr
was a country music fan before it was cool. He took the lead vocal when
the Beatles
covered the
Buck Owens
hit "Act Naturally," he added some twang to
The Beatles
(aka
The White Album
) with "Don't Pass Me By," and his second solo album, 1970's
Beaucoups of Blues
, was a set of classic country covers recorded in Nashville with a crew of Music City session players. It's not that much of a surprise that
Starr
has decided to release a country-leaning album in 2025, but
Look Up
feels a bit different than one might expect. The record finds
Ringo
working beside
T-Bone Burnett
, the producer and songwriter who has been the go-to guy for folks looking to make a quality, tasteful roots music album for decades. When
asked
Burnett
if he'd write a song for
's next recording project,
dove in headfirst, contributing nine songs he either wrote or co-wrote and offering to produce the sessions as well, giving him his first shot at working with a former
Beatle
.
brought in a team of solid, sympathetic musicians to back
(who handles drums as well as vocals, and sounds like his old self behind the kit), as well as guest stars like guitar hero
Billy Strings
, bluegrass heroine
Molly Tuttle
, harmony group
Lucius
, and crossover star
Alison Krauss
.
The result has a warm, organic feel that meshes comfortably with
'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.
's songs prove to be a great fit for
; they have a philosophical and spiritual bent that suit both his pleasingly froggy voice and his "peace and love" personality, and his meditations on love, aging, and our place in this world sound all the more telling coming from an 84-year-old, one who's spry for his age but clearly knows he's not as young as he once was. He also sounds like he's OK with that --
has been a country fan long enough to remember when it was music that spoke most clearly to grown-ups dealing with the real world, and that's an outlook that he clearly feels comfortable with, especially on "Thankful," a sincere celebration of gratitude that's the one track here he wrote (in collaboration with
Bruce Sugar
).
's 2024 album
The Other Side
was a welcome return to the straightforward, heartfelt songwriting of his best work, and while
is clearly
's album, the two LPs feel like siblings, each with a personality of its own but with a loving heart and a gentle soul that's eloquent and winning. Who knew
and
would make such a great team? And who else hopes they'll try this again? ~ Mark Deming