Ringo Starr

Four and a half years after Let It Be, a Ringo Starr album is the first to actually invoke the
Beatles' aura. He has enlisted the help (the "band-aid," as one song calls it) of John, Paul
and George as well as Beatles lieutenants Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voormann and Billy Preston.
One song, "Devil Woman," mentions Sexy Sadie, while "I'm The Greatest" is a career
retrospective in which we are reminded of Ringo's place in "the greatest show o... More >

This is not a Beatles album but a Ringo album--a likable curiosity. Ringo's droll sincerity was always good for a change of pace; his songs were wonderful in context. Here that context is provided by an occasional harmony (especially John's on "I'm the Greatest") that makes me long for much, much more. It might be different if the songs were all as good as "Photograph," but without a real singer to work with, Richard Perry cannot transmute questionable material into magic. And don't kid yourself--the Beatles could. (Grade: B-)