Ringo Starr - Look Up (2025)

Although credited to Ringo Starr there should be no argument that the drummer's new country influenced album is a true collaboration with Joseph Henry "T-Bone" Burnett who produced it and wrote or co-wrote nine of its eleven songs.

Look Up is a very nice set of tunes that Starr mostly sings in a laid-back style where he always sounds the most comfortable. He also plays drums on every track.

Each song has its merits. Without disrupting the mood "Rosetta" is the only arrangement on which the Liverpool legend and his sidemen work up a sweat. Perhaps that's due to the presence of his brother-in-law - rocker and Eagle - Joe Walsh. The rest will easily appeal to Nashville's country establishment where most of the album was recorded.

The first single and hands-down standout is "Time on My Hands," a breakup song that Starr sings without any vocal support or multi-tracking. His voice has never sounded better - even at 84 years old - and despite his usually outward, sunny demeanor he sounds perfectly melancholy.

Starr may get a bit too sweet for some listeners on "Thankful," a duet with Alison Krauss. He tells us how alcoholism nearly destroyed him and credits his loving wife - without actually mentioning her name - with bringing bring him back from the depths of despair. In typical Ringo style he sings that he's "hoping for more peace and love." 

 

Not surprisingly, the record features a handful of current Americana and country luminaries. In addition to Krauss, he's supported by Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Lucius, and Larkin Poe. Despite all of the guests, the classic rocker is definitely the focus of the album. None of them upstage their host. They're in the studio to support him.

The disc packaging is a bit of a throwback and a welcome surprise. Unlike the majority of newer CDs Look Up comes in a jewel box complete with a booklet featuring liner notes written by Elvis Costello, lyrics, and a complete listing of who plays what.