As far back as the Beatles‘ earliest years, the group drew influences far wider than the rock ‘n’ roll pioneers that directly paved their way. From blues to R&B to even jazz, listen closely to the records released during the Beatlemania years and a wealth of inspiration reveals itself.
But no genre outside that first rush of rock music found its way, directly or indirectly, as much as country. And no Beatles member displayed his love for the music as determinedly as Ringo Starr, whose spotlight performances with the band included covers of country hits and original songs using guidebooks from the genre. He was primarily responsible for steering the Beatles toward the rootsy direction they took on Beatles for Sale.
From Carl Perkins’ “Honey Don’t” and Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” to the cowritten Rubber Soul track “What Goes On,” the drummer’s love of country music is well documented. Beaucoups of Blues, Starr’s second solo album and his first following the Beatles’ breakup in April 1970, was recorded in Nashville with Charlie Rich and Tammy Wynette sideman Pete Drake and local studio musicians who wrote an album of country songs for the Brit in a week.
READ MORE: Every Beatles Song Ranked
So it’s no surprise that Look Up, Starr’s 21st solo album – his first since 2019, a period since marked by five EPs of varying interest – returns him to a musical area he’s gone back to from time to time over the past half-century. Aided by producer T Bone Burnett, who had a hand in writing nine of the album’s 11 songs, Starr’s spin on traditional and modern country gets a boost from guests Alison Krauss, Larkin Poe, Lucius, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle. The result is an affable if inessential addition to his catalog.
From the opening “Breathless,” a rockabilly-like shuffle featuring bluegrass phenom Strings on guitar and harmony vocals, it’s hard not to get caught up in Starr’s unaffected enthusiasm. It’s the most committed to a project he’s been in years on tracks such as the heartbroken “Time on My Hands,” “Rosetta”‘s dusty Americana and the closing “Thankful,” the only song here cowritten by Starr. Like Starr’s modern-day peace-and-love persona, Look Up is both slightly out of step and sweetly charming.
Beatles Albums Ranked
From the cheery ‘Please Please Me’ to the kinda dreary ‘Let It Be,’ we rank all of the group’s studio LPs.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci