Look Up by Ringo Starr – Album Review
By Ellie Victor
Ringo Starr’s Look Up marks a return to the ex-Beatle’s love of country, some 55 years after Beaucoups of Blues. With T Bone Burnett at the production helm, the album is a blend of classic country storytelling and Starr’s own brand of positivity. Featuring a stellar lineup of some of Nashville’s finest musicians, Look Up navigates through honky-tonk stompers, pedal steel-infused ballads, and bluegrass-inflected toe-tappers.
Right from the opener, ‘Breathless’, the album establishes its footing in country tradition. With Billy Strings lending his rapid-fire bluegrass picking and Starr’s signature drum fills rolling through, the track sets a buoyant tone. Lead single and title track ‘Look Up’ stays firmly in Starr’s well-known realm of optimism. Though its lyrical platitudes verge on overindulgence, the song’s warm, organic instrumentation—highlighted by Molly Tuttle’s harmony vocals—keeps it engaging.
Ringo, with producer T-Bone Burnett
image: Dan Winters
“Affecting moments”
One of the album’s highlights is ‘Time on My Hands’, a wistful ballad steeped in pedal steel melancholy. Reminiscent of late-period Johnny Cash, the song’s gently weeping arrangement tugs at the heartstrings, with Starr’s weathered vocals adding a layer of quiet dignity. By contrast, ‘Never Let Me Go’ aims for a Nashville stomp but ultimately meanders rather than drives, lacking the tightness that makes other tracks so compelling.
Starr’s voice, never his strongest instrument, takes on a slightly twangy inflection throughout Look Up, however, his most affecting moments come when he embraces vulnerability. ‘Thankful’, the album’s closing track, is perhaps its finest. Co-written with longtime collaborator Bruce Sugar and featuring Alison Krauss, the song tells a tale of loss and redemption. The lyric “I had it all, then I started to fall” is delivered with a sincerity that makes it one of the record’s most gripping moments.
“Heartfelt homage”
Other standouts include ‘String Theory’, an ambitious lyric in which Starr casts his gaze across the universe, and ‘Rosetta’, where Billy Strings’ gritty electric guitar and Larkin Poe’s harmonies give the track an unexpected edge. Not everything lands perfectly, but even at its weakest, the album is brimming with good vibes and the kind of easygoing charm that has defined Starr’s solo career.
The production, courtesy of Burnett, is both modern and timeless, never overwhelming Starr’s distinctively casual vocal style. Though Burnett’s fingerprints are all over the record—having written or co-written nine of its eleven tracks—the album still feels unmistakably Ringo. It’s not a seismic reinvention but rather a heartfelt homage to a genre he has long admired.
Like much of Starr’s solo output, Look Up is uneven, but that is part of its charm. It is a record made with love, filled with warmth, and underpinned by the same unshakable optimism that has carried Starr through decades of music. A mix of playfulness and poignancy, Look Up is a welcome addition to his catalogue and a testament to his enduring spirit.
Thumbs up, Ringo.
7/10
Ellie has spent over three decades dissecting riffs, rhythms, and rockstar egos, all in pursuit of the perfect review. Her music writing journey began at 12 with a glowing 10/10 diary entry for Echo and the Bunnymen, and she’s been chasing that high ever since. Armed with encyclopaedic knowledge and a soft spot for the sonically daring, Ellie will review anything that’s in front of her – as long as it’s on vinyl.
