Ringo Starr kicked off the new year with the release of ‘Look Up’, his 21st solo studio album, on January 10. Marking his first studio album since 2019’s ‘What’s My Name?’, this album sees Starr return to country music for the first time since his 1970 record ‘Beaucoups of Blues’.
The album, produced by T Bone Burnett, features 11 original songs, and collaborations with country artists such as Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and sister duo Larkin Poe. With Burnett’s extensive roots in the American country scene, ‘Look Up’ aims to recapture a more traditional sound, harking back to the artists that inspired Beatles’ hits such as ‘Act Naturally’ and ‘Don’t Pass Me By’. “Country music became pop with a pedal steel,” Starr explained when interviewed by the Associated Press last month.
The album’s creative journey began with a single track from Burnett, which then formed the basis of an EP, before eventually expanding to a full-length album. “I love that you can take a right turn, and it turns into a really good couple of days,” Starr said.
Honouring the home of country and western music, Starr will perform two shows at the Ryman Auditorium on January 15 and 16. He teased the upcoming performances on Instagram with a photo of the white Stetson hat from the ‘Look Up’ album cover perched on a fence outside the venue.
While Starr’s fans have shown enthusiasm for his country pivot, wider reactions to the album have been mixed. On the Beatles subreddit, some described Starr’s voice as a “natural fit” for the genre. In contrast, the r/CountryMusicStuff subreddit expressed less enthusiasm, with one user commenting that the album’s features “aren’t enough to stop it from falling flat.”
Comment byu/NoYeezyAtWeezyHeezy from discussion inCountryMusicStuff
Critics have also offered praise without falling into ex-Beatle sycophancy. The Telegraph awarded the album three stars, while Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield gave it three and a half, saying, “‘Look Up’ is the sound of Ringo being himself, the least jaded rock star in the universe, which is exactly what we want from this wise old sage.”
Supported by two singles in 2024—’Time On My Hands’, released in October, and ‘Thankful’, released in November—’Look Up’ also includes a music video for its title track, which Starr promoted on Instagram. Despite the album’s new material, Starr has yet to perform any songs from ‘Look Up’ live, making the Nashville shows that bit more exciting for fans, with tickets available here.
While doing interviews to promote the new album, Starr used the opportunity to warn artists, listeners, and those in government, about the danger posed by AI in music. This comes amid the UK Government’s own issues surrounding copyright and AI data mining, and has been addressed by fellow Beatle Paul McCartney too.
With ‘Look Up’, Starr embraces a genre that first inspired him decades ago. Whether lauded or critiqued, the album is a testament to the King of Peace and Love’s energy and spirit at 84.
