Jackson Free Press

Here's the weekly rundown of what came out this week, plus a mini-review of Sir Paul McCartney's latest outing:

Paul McCartney - New

There's a ton of artists from the glorious 60's that are content to rest on their laurels and churn out the hits for live audiences (I'm looking at you, Pete Townshend), but McCartney has always been a writer first and a performer second. I'm thankful that he has been out on the road sharing his gift with audiences the world over. I'm also thankful that he still has a desire to write and record new material.

Fittingly titled, McCartney's new album is entitled "New." Older fans might be taken aback by the modern production (he worked with producers like Mark Ronson and Ethan Johns), but the songs are unmistakably Paul's. The liner notes state that he had a fear of the album not sounding cohesive with the different producers. Ultimately, this is not a problem as Paul's signature voice holds the proceedings together like glue.

New is rife with hummable melodies along with a solid dose of 00's psychedelia. It's a decidedly modern sounding record bound with the voice of one of entertainment's mainstays. Too many of rock's dinosaurs do not want to make new music, but I'm glad that McCartney is still giving us new music.

Plus, I defy anyone to not hear the sing-songy "Queenie Eye" and not get that chorus stuck in their heads for days to come...

The rest:

Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt

Fall Out Boy - Pax-Am Days

The Avett Brothers - Magpie & the Dandelion

Willie Nelson - To All the Girls...

Black Milk - No Poison No Paradise

The Head & the Heart - Let's Be Still

Gavin DeGraw - Make a Move

Jonathan Wilson - Fanfare

TLC - 20

Gary Numan - Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind)

Scotty McCreery - See You Tonight

Nobunny - Secret Songs

Will Hoge - Never Give In

The Waterboys - Fisherman's Box: The Complete Fisherman's Blues Sessions 1986-1988