I do not exaggerate when I say my only goal in life is to convince people that Paul McCartney's solo career has (present tense) life beyond Ram and Band on the Run.

For whatever reason, back in 1970 when he started releasing his first solo albums, critics condemned his music as too poppy and superficial. Even the reviewers that liked the records seemed to slight him. Maybe everyone was still mad about the fact that Paul announced the Beatles were breaking up, or that his first album was released almost simultaneously with Let It Be, but now all the flak has stopped and his solo career is starting to get proper recognition.

As I sit here, still singing in my head "Ever Present Past" from McCartney's latest record, I feel validated in my claim that he has been not merely on a roll in the ten years since the Beatles Anthology, but with Flaming Pie (1997), last year's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, and now Memory Almost Full, Paul McCartney is releasing probably the best work and most consistent work since leaving that band where he first made it big (no, not Wings, Paul's other band.)

Memory Almost Full has a much different feel than most of the records in Paul's Renaissance. Flaming Pie and Chaos and Creation were both very lowkey productions. Though Pie has a few grand numbers, the majority of both albums feature songs with either just Paul himself or a small group of musicians playing very subtle, melodic pieces. Memory Almost Full has the melody, but it features a full band playing with a much harder and slighly electronic edge, showing that Paul McCartney, now 65, can still wail.