Reviewed by Tony Magee
Released in February 2025, Look Up is the twenty-first studio album by English singer-songwriter Ringo Starr and is his first in six years since What’s My Name. My copy is the gatefold white vinyl version.
In the country rock genre, all songs are co-written by Starr and T-bone Burnett.
An array of guest artists feature on most tracks, including Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Larkin Poe, and Alison Krauss, who all provide solid vocal harmonies and additional instrumental support and solos.
The backing band is excellent. Starr is featured on drums, lead vocals, and percussion. Other band members include T-bone Burnett and Daniel Tachian on electric and acoustic guitars, Dennis Crouch on bass, Mike Rojas and Andy Cata on piano, with Stuart Duncan on fiddle and mandolin.
In keeping with the country music style, pedal steel guitar and slide steel guitar are featured on most tracks, played convincingly by Joe Walsh and Paul Franklin.
The opening track is Breathless, an upbeat rock-a-billy song and is immediately appealing. Starr’s vocals are assured, youthful, full bodied, pitch perfect, and with excellent diction.
The title track, Look Up, is a medium tempo song with heavy pounding drums from Starr and excellent vocal harmonies from Mollie Tuttle.
Time on My Hands is a wistful ballad featuring slide steel guitar. The old audio engineering technique of double tracking vocals is very apparent during this piece. This adds extra weight and a more expansive quality to Starr’s voice.
In a medium tempo rock style, Never Let Me Go has a somewhat repetitive chorus. That said it’s still an appealing piece featuring blues style harmonica played wonderfully by Mickey Raphael.
A beautiful ballad closes side one. I Live For Your Love flows along gently, like a meandering river. Paul Franklin’s pedal steel guitar is an excellent feature.
Side two opens with Come Back, a rambling country ballad. Starr is heard whistling during the introduction, in between each verse and during the outro, a simple but effective inclusion. Colin Linden is featured playing resonator guitar. Notable also are the rich vocal harmonies provided by Jess Wolfe and Holly Leassig, who are billed on the album simply as Lucius.
In an unusual inclusion for country music, clarinet is also a feature of this track, played beautifully by Rory Hoffman.
Can You Hear Me features vocalist Molly Tuttle who sings in alternate lines to Starr, as well as providing excellent harmonies.
Rosetta is a medium tempo song with heavy backing by the band and searing electric guitar riffs from Billy Strings. Starr sings in a kind of drawl which suits the style of the song. Billy Strings and Larkin Poe provide excellent vocal harmonies in the chorus.
You Want Some is a rockabilly piece and rolls along with a convincing bounce. An appealing piano solo reminiscent of Fats Domino is a feature of the track. Slide steel guitar solos are also prominent. Rebecca Loval contributes excellent mandolin riffs as well as additional vocals.
String Theory is a medium tempo song featuring, unusually, an odd number of bars in some versus.
Closing with Thankful, the track is easy listening and peaceful. Alison Krauss’ vocal harmonies are very effective and her voice blends particularly well with Starr’s. The lyric reflects upon life delivering plenty to be thankful for.
Upon release, Look Up went straight to number 1 on the American and UK Country Music Charts. It is a suitably enjoyable return from the 85 year old Starr and should definitely appeal to country music fans as well as a wider rock and pop audience.
Review copy suppled by Songland Records, Cooleman Court, Weston.
