MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: PAUL MCCARTNEY - EGYPT STATION

Paul McCartney is always competing. He's competing for hits, always wanting to get a song on the charts, for his album to hit the top, to sell out his shows. Good for him, he's always trying to prove he's still got it, and to win your affection once again. He sure gives us what we want, still touring, still playing Beatles hits, doing all sorts of TV work, and that simply wonderful Carpool Karaoke video. All that hard work is paying off of course, giving him his highest profile in many years. The concerts are selling great, the album went to #1, although that's not that big a deal in this day. The only thing that hasn't worked are the new singles, which have proved duds. All in all though, he's got the social media profile of a Drake or Rihanna, and that's the real measure of popularity these days.

Actually, the only person McCartney is truly competing against is himself. He obviously craves the fame, and knows the insane levels just a precious few have reached. He always seems to want to get close to Beatlemania again, or be the most respected musician in the world, the Sgt. Pepper Paul, or to be biggest ex-Beatle, from the 1976 Wings tour. I will leave it up to the psychologists to decide what that says about him, but I know what it means for the albums. He tries really hard, and lately it's meant some truly great music for fans. Not all of it, but a large amount.

Every new McCartney album gets tagged as the best one he's done since, oh, Band On The Run or something, and it's important not to get trapped by that tired review. McCartney has a habit of sabotaging his own albums by overthinking and overworking them, swapping producers and following trends, then second-guessing his own instincts and recording more material than needed. Usually that results in bad singles he's trying to push, the one area where he's most out of touch, and probably the one place he's most desperate to conquer. And once again, that's the reason this isn't the best McCartney album since Band On The Run, or Flowers In The Dirt, and it isn't even the best album this decade. Go back and get his last one, 2013's New, which is a remarkable, modern set that shows his still-vibrant creativity and artistry, truly exciting and, yes, youthful work. Egypt Station does actually continue this streak, and lots of fans have pointed out it's an album that actually gets better as it goes, which the very best coming in the second half of this generous, hour-long collection.

The chief problem is the two focus tracks that have been presented, Come On To Me and Fuh You, the latter a dumb joke, a classic McCartney attempt to be cheeky, thinking faux-swearing and singing about sex is pushing the boundaries. They do sound good though, just not quite catchy enough to overcome the clunking lyrics. But that's really it for my complaints, and if you want those rich McCartney melodies and brilliant production, it is all here in spades, from piano soft ones to rockers to wildly imaginative longer tracks. Best of the bunch has to be Despite Repeated Warnings, a seven-minute track near the end that has changes scenes a couple of times, a la A Day In The Life or Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsay. Producer Greg Kurstin did the whole album (except for Fuh You, which says something) and what stands out for me is the vibrant audio mix, crisp and clean and punchy. It also doesn't sound like it's a copy of old Paul or Beatle production, this has a life of his own. Nobody has understood the depth of field in the stereo mix more than McCartney in the rock era, and for that alone I can listen over and over all day.

More highlights: The other long cut, which ends the album, a medley called Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link is fun and the most Wings-like cut. People Want Peace goes way beyond the cliche, showing McCartney stills knows how to right that kind of uplifting message. Caesar Rock has lots of guts, and Happy With You uses Paul's aging pipes to good effect, taking the raspiness you hear when he's live and making it tender. And, there's lots of great backing vocals throughout the album, often his own, again part of his layering mastery. Go in respecting his many talents, and you'll be rewarded. It's just too bad he can't come up with that one killer single, but don't count him out for next time.