Ringo Starr — ‘Ringo 2012’
“This is an anthem of peace and love,” sings Ringo Starr, the man constantly flashing a peace sign, on the opening track of his new album.
“Ringo 2012” is another collection of fetching songs from the loveable Beatle that we have come to know and admire since going solo some 42 years ago. After borrowing a king’s ransom of my older brother’s vinyl records, I quickly became a huge fan of the Beatles growing up during the late ’60s and early ’70s. After the band’s break up, which was perhaps my first experience of true heartbreak, I scored Starr’s “Beaucoups of Blues” and was instantly smitten with Starr’s charm and common appeal. Over the course of his solo career, Starr has remained steady and consistent. The 17th album from the 71-year-old contains the reflective and sentimental mood of past offerings. “In Liverpool” offers the same fond recollections of his younger days much like “The Other Side of Liverpool” from 2008’s “Liverpool 8.” The opening track, “Anthem,” echoes the same universal message of peace and love generously sprinkled throughout 2010’s “Y Not.”
As usual, Starr solicits a little help from his friends, as the talents of Van Dyke Parks, Glen Ballard, Joe Walsh and Dave Stewart coalesce to add a fine seasoning to the alabaster arrangements. Starr produced the album himself, which may account for the sparsity of original material. Of the nine songs on the album, only five are original. Covers of Buddy Holly’s “Think It Over” and Leadbelly’s “Rock Island Line” are teamed with former Starr arrangements “Step Lightly” and “Wings.” Like most of Starr’s albums, “Ringo 2012” contains tracks that are neither overwhelming nor underwhelming. Basically, it is just what you would expect from the singer who shined on classics like “Octopus’s Garden” and “Yellow Submarine.” In a world filled with an abundance of meaningless and overproduced music, it’s invigorating to hear the simple and well-structured musings from one of the famous fab four.