McCartney III
| Paul McCartney
McCartney III
McCartney III is the 18th solo album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 18 December 2020 by Capitol Records. It serves as a continuation to his solo albums McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980). Like those albums, McCartney III features McCartney on all instruments. The album was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. The album became McCartney's first UK number-one solo album since Flowers in the Dirt in 1989 and debuted at no. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
Paul McCartney Delivers a Playful Gem with ‘McCartney III’.
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USA Today
Whether you're a fan of the Beatles, Wings or his solo work, "McCartney III" is a welcome return for the rock legend, with sophisticated songwriting and admirable willingness to venture down new sonic pathways.
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The Guardian
lockdown LP has his best songs in years.
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The Rockhaq Community
An inconsistent but broadly enjoyable collection of songs from the ex-Beatle, with enough standout moments to make me glad he's still making music.
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NME
A stellar return to his three-decade-spanning series.
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Daily Mail
This is the sound of a great songwriter being playful... he leaves you hoping that there will be a McCartney IV.
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Pitchfork
The third installment in McCartney’s home-recorded series is less adventurous and revelatory than its eponymous predecessors, but still contains moments of genuine wonder and weirdness.
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The Morton Report
McCartney has managed to remain constant in all the ways that matter: emotionally-direct, relatable, and always praiseful of life's basic necessities.
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Beats Per Minute
Instead of ruminating on his mortality, he’s dancing on TikTok and delivering what is one of his most likable rock albums of his career – an album that doesn’t feel like it requires jokes, or Mark Ronson, or big orchestral pomp to hit the mark. Even if it isn’t the notable stylistic statement that McCartney II was, it still feels poignant, and yes: surprisingly youthful.
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Sungenre
McCartney III is often beautiful and seldom boring.
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The Independent
Melodic charm, craftsmanship and open-minded optimism make this solo album a real treat.
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Herald Standard
They say all good things come in threes. If that holds to be true, then the latest release from Paul McCartney fulfills the promise he started with the acoustic leanings of 1970’s “McCartney,” continued with bursts of electronic flavorings on 1980’s “McCartney II” and ultimately completes with the cathartic tone of “McCartney III."
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MSN
this bold and potent record is his most intimate work in years.
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Louder
On the form displayed on this album, the boy’s got quite a future.
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Hotpress
This is an interesting record – I’d listen to McCartney singing the collected works of Westlife, possibly – with some great moments, but it’s not the masterpiece we might have hoped for, and the one I suspect he still has in him.
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EW
McCartney III is comfort food.
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musicOMH
It helps confirm McCartney III to be an exuberant and heartening spin of the songwriting wheel, a carefree and not overthought documentation of how creativity can be harnessed and fledgling ideas brought to realisation More importantly, it’s a valuable addition to his catalogue that should provide happiness to many.
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Spill Magazine
He has created an album that, given the chance, will force listeners to take a moment and appreciate the fact that one is listening to the music of a genius. Take McCartney’s advice, seize the day, and let us enjoy this album that will be considered a classic in the future.
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Stack
McCartney III is both songwriting masterclass and delightful lark.
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All Music
Individually, these moments may not seem particularly eccentric, yet when they're collected as an album, they add up to a charmingly off-kilter record, an album that benefits from its modest origins and McCartney's willingness to not polish too many of his rough edges.
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The Irish Times
a reassuringly consoling collection of songs, sung by an eminent voice that may show occasional signs of frailty, but remains completely charming throughout.
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Clash Magazine
It’s almost rude, approaching eighty, that McCartney has the ability to craft an addition to his back catalogue that’s not only worthy of some of the highest points that have come before it, but one that actively enhances the story. There have been utterances that this may be the end of something, a closing of a chapter, but if he can churn out a McCartney IV during the next apocalypse, I’d gladly listen.
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Uncut
There’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with being Paul McCartney, and no-one knows that better than Paul McCartney. But when he allows himself to forget who he is and just remember what it is that he does, he can still come up with songs to surprise you. More impressively, maybe even surprise himself.
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Evening Standard
Isolation inspiration results in freewheeling fun.
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The Washington Times
Paul McCartney is fab on 'McCartney III'.
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Stereoboard
This album, like most of his solo efforts, is Paul having fun, crafting songs with simple chords and vocals that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Here, McCartney’s music yet again acts as a balm.
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DIY Magazine
A more than worthy third prong of the trilogy.
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The Arts Desk
this record offers rejuvenating hope of a very personal kind.
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Ultimate Classic Rock
it's both a substantial and tossed-off work, begging not to be taken too seriously while also categorizing itself as a personal statement, just like McCartney and McCartney II, by an artist in transition. But the challenges in this work are less complicated and abrasive; getting reflective on a farm during one of the most tumultuous years any of us will ever live through will do that. In typical McCartney fashion, he handles it with ease.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune
“McCartney III” is a record that grows on you with repeated listens. Here’s hoping McCartney will get to try out some of the tracks before a live audience soon.
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Radio13
I would say it is most certainly his best album in fifteen years at the very least and one of his more interesting solo projects from a career that felt like it was winding down, but now clearly is not. Whether he puts out any more music as good as this remains to be seen, but one thing for sure is that this global pandemic has afforded this former Beatle a new creative lease of life in the studio.
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The Times
loose songs that tumble with feeling and sincerity.
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The Telegraph
the whimsical, poppy antidote to a miserable year.
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The West Australia
Paul McCartney’s ‘rockdown’ album occasionally brilliant and often wonderfully weird.
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AV Club
With McCartney III, Paul McCartney offers lessons from a legendary life.
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Under the Radar Magazine
McCartney III is nevertheless a worthy addition to his expansive and legendary catalogue. It’s catchy, well-crafted, and creative, all while remaining honest. It may not be the groundbreaking production that McCartney has, at times, produced with valiance and majesty, but it just works.
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XS Noize
Paul McCartney had plenty of time during lockdown to add another chapter to his remarkable career in music, and even complete a fascinating trilogy with the extraordinary McCartney III.
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Redbrick Music
Whilst this album in my mind won’t cement itself as anything to shout home about, I do admire McCartney’s drive and willingness to just be himself, to be as authentic as possible with his music making. He’s not trying to create something amazing; McCartney is just highlighting to the world that his creative spirit is still flourishing despite the difficulties of 2020, and for that I applaud him.
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Weekend Notes
what stuns me is that fifty years into a solo career, sixty years into a musical career, and he can still produce an album as good as this one.
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In Review Online
McCartney III finds the artist in a familiar playful mood, experimenting across various forms, genres, and lyrical modes.
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Sputnik Music
McCartney III delivers a sense of normality in unusual times, while still exploring new musical avenues
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The Scotsman
The former Beatle’s new album is a engaging curio, taking in winsome acoustic ballads, slick, soulful blues and much more .
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Stereogum
McCartney III, then, feels like catching up with an old friend as he attempts to make sense of this strange new world. Though the album is not some Blackstar-style bold reinvention, it feels like a document he could have only produced now, under these unique circumstances, after all these years. It ain’t King Lear, but it is a pile of charmingly shaggy songs bashed out for no reason but the love of creation by a guy who’s been making quarantine albums since before most of you were born.
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The Wall Street Journal
the musician put together an album at home in England on which he plays all the instruments and displays a still vibrant compositional flair.
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Far Out Magazine
Paul McCartney’s new album ‘McCartney III’ is the distillation of a legend.
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meaww
Beatles icon's 18th solo album is whimsical experimentation of a new era.
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Gigwise
Another stark reminder that we are blessed to have Paul McCartney.
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The 13th Floor
McCartney III may be overshadowed by the latest Dylan or Springsteen when it comes to this year’s assessment of “Boomer Rock”. But I for one am happy to add to the McCartney canon.
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Liverpool Sound and Vision
Outstanding and casually deliberate, McCartney III is the ending of a trilogy that has been fifty years in the making.
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Showbiz 411
Melodic, masterful new album.
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Vintage Rock
Really, as a whole, McCartney III is probably one of the tastier collections Sir Paul McCartney has cooked up in recent years. All things considered, it’s certainly one of the brighter spots in a year when a seismic shift in our world becomes more of a challenge with each passing day.
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Bourbon and Vinyl
McCartney III is an absolute gem of a record and a fine addition to Paul’s catalog. It’s the perfect ending to an otherwise miserable year. I highly recommend this one for all fans of rock and roll, Paul or the Beatles. It’s a real return to the roots of McCartney and should rank amongst his most beloved works.
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inews
this bold and potent record is his most intimate work in years.
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Spectrum Culture
McCartney sounds energetic, teasing through a variety of styles as a general reminder of his continuing songwriting strength.
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The Bluffton Icon
McCartney III is a gem that proves why Sir Paul McCartney is the greatest singer-songwriter of modern times.
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