Label: Capitol Records (US), CDP 0777 7 98615 2 1
Style: Pop Rock, Rock
Country: Liverpool, England (7 July 1940)
Time: 34:01
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 199 Mb
By
the end of the 1960s, it was no longer a question of if The Beatles
would explore solo ventures-it was merely a matter of when. The internal
strains were well-documented, and it seemed inevitable that each of the
four would begin sketching out their post-Beatle identities. For
Lennon, it was political provocation and primal confession. For
McCartney, domestic charm and soft experimentation. For Harrison,
spiritual depth and guitar-driven grandeur. And for Ringo Starr-arguably
the least musically prolific of the quartet-it was... an album of 1940s
standards.
Sentimental Journey, released in 1970, was a puzzling
choice. While the title and cover (a photograph of the Liverpool pub
where Ringo was born above) clearly aimed for nostalgic intimacy, the
project felt curiously out of step-not only with the moment, but with
Starr’s own emerging post-Beatle persona. It was, by any measure, an odd
debut: a collection of big-band-era songs more associated with parental
record collections than with the countercultural revolution The Beatles
had helped spark.
The decision might have been defensible if it had
been framed as kitsch or recontextualization, but Starr approached the
material with sincerity. Unfortunately, sincerity could not compensate
for vocal limitations. Ringo, always a charming and reliable Beatle, was
never a singer of great range or interpretive power. And these
songs-iconic, melodically rich, and deeply associated with legendary
vocalists-required both.
The arrangements, it must be said, are
competently executed. The record enlisted multiple high-profile
producers and arrangers, including George Martin, Quincy Jones, and Paul
McCartney himself. Each track was tailored to a different musical team,
yet the results somehow feel homogenous-pleasant but lifeless. One is
left with the impression that the sessions were arranged first, and
Ringo’s vocals added later as an afterthought.
The material itself is
largely untouchable: Night and Day, Blue, Turning Grey Over You,
Stardust. But familiarity is a double-edged sword. These songs carry
weight, and unless a singer can bring something revelatory-or at the
very least, charmingly idiosyncratic-the risk is that they collapse
under their own history. Starr, with his good-natured but flat delivery,
simply can’t elevate them. The record, while well-intentioned, feels
less like a sentimental journey and more like a polite detour.
(full version: clemsmusicreviews.com/ringostarr/sentimentaljourney.html)
01. Sentimental Journey (03:28)
02. Night And Day (02:26)
03. Whispering Grass (02:39)
04. Bye Bye Blackbird (02:12)
05. I'm A Fool To Care (02:39)
06. Stardust (03:25)
07. Blue Turning Grey over You (03:20)
08. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing (03:07)
09. Dream (02:42)
10. You Always Hurt The One You Love (02:20)
11. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (02:44)
12. Let The Rest Of The World Go By (02:54)
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