Due to an incredibly stressful and procrastination heavy week, I originally handed this in using AI! Lol, soz.
Alas, my “experiment” has already given me the shivers since sending to the editor, so here’s my actual typed review; as I sit here watching Aussie Rules Football, gasping for a ciggy and desperate for some Turkish delight.
Starting with the best track, “Choose Love”, there are chimes of George, a feeling of optimism and joy (apt for the title), 60’s sounding drums and an overall psychedelic backboard, all mixing beautifully with the more robust country foundations Long Long Road has pushed from the outset.
The first track comes into focus: “Returning Without Tears”. It doesn’t really zoom then bang like a regular firework but rather, spreads its colours slowly across a melancholic sky; a forever work if you will.
The words: Tell me a story, and I don’t care if it’s true. Just tell me everything I want to here. That’s a cold way to open your album. Immediately sets the tone for songs about love, loss, lost love and a lost love that is missed therefore, a loss. It is finite and daunting. Genuinely some of the best words I’ve heard this year. A reflection of my personal experience at least, it describes a desperation within the spectral ghoulish concept of “love”. A realness of life and its challenges for deep connections and meaning, even if beneath the surface toxic and at times morbid. Not a clunky, young and stupid rendition of what love is, spouting nonsense of rizzlas and cans down the park. If you can guess who that’s in reference to, I’ll give you a tenner.
“Choose Love!” then – the chorus punchline of track 8 – is almost as smile inducing as the line “tomorrow never knows what goes on…” featured here. It’s smart, swanky and ultimately, very groovy baby!
Ringo’s voice is aged and soothing. Not a smooth liquid to fall and drown in love with per se, but one of slick experience and iconoclast aura. Like the legendary cowboy of blues town, walking into the saloon, drum sticks ready for anything and everything. Goes without saying, he’s a fucking Beatle. The fab four backbone, a lover of all things alive and a scouser… Need I say more! I’m not going to say a bad thing about this album.
(Not that being scouse means you’re automatically sound mind; I hate scousers and I am one)
The bluesy, sadder, ballady songs here are tremendous at calming the listener and forcing a smile. This album is no thrills, 10 tracks of country wholesomeness. It’s not Death Grips meets MJ Lenderman meets Geordie Greep’s cat’s bass guitar feedback on a loop – a combination surreal in theory and sentence structure – this isn’t gonna knock your cock off. It is however, going to make you wanna chill the fuck out and have some perspective, over whatever you were feeling or getting anxious about. That’s what it did to me anyway. An elixir, familiar and freeing.
Obviously, I love the Beatles and I wasn’t going to mention them in this review as some kind of skill or brag but it’s nice knowing after all these years, a member of arguably one of the most famous cultural phenomena of the past couple hundred years, can still speak with such relevance and confidence. Without an eye roll or a “pffft, whatever boomer”, this album rolls on and I nod gently and take in the easy listening nature of the music gladly. I may be biased like I’ve said, I’ve got Beatles in in my blood via hours and hours and hours and hours of general conversation about them, let alone listening to the fuckers, but Long Long Road is brilliant and I think everyone can vibe with this record; not just Beatles superfans.
The title track in particular – called Long Long Road funnily enough – has some solid advice from the great man. At the ripe old age of 85, he spits facts bruv. The purple shirt of the Abbey Road days presented on the cover, alongside the advice laden lines of life being a rollercoaster and not letting the bad vibes ruin a good time, are fabulous. I do realise these may seem like odd reactions to a country album by an 85-year-old but the themes of togetherness and unconditional love and compromise have been refreshing to say the least.
It all sounds so simple. Icon of music does country album and talks of woe and love blah blah blah. And yes, it is simple. The instrumentation is pretty standard throughout with the occasional delve into something more alt or psych, guests with a plethora of praise and experience such as Billy Strings, St. Vincent and Sheryl Crow do give it some more depth and Ringo’s voice is solid enough to carry the lyrics – even if they are everything we’ve heard before. But it doesn’t matter. Isolated, in the moment, it sounded great and on relisten, it holds up as a solid record again and again.
Again, nothing to write to your local councillor about, but it never wanted to be that. There may be people out there cynical and think what’s the fucking point, go home old man! He doesn’t need the money whatever you wanna say Trevor. But no. Ringo, come on in, have a bifter and a biscuit, would you like to watch The Chase? This album, despite its Americana, country influence and Nashville production signifiers, made me feel at home. He obviously sings, plays drums and dabbles on some other instruments. The main instrument probably being the heart. He plays mine beautifully.
Other highlights here include “My Baby Don’t Want Nothing” and “You and I (Wave of Love). Stellar stuff.
This review is all over the place, which isn’t surprising with me but hey, I graciously get to post words on the Internet and ramble on so, who cares. Just listen to the album, hug your ma and choose love.
***Disclaimer*** No AI was harmed in the writing of this review. UFC’s on now. Time for bed. Goodnight Ringo, goodnight, everybody.
Ringo Starr: Long Long Road – Released 24 April 2026 (Ume)
Starr – Long Long Road (Official Music Video)
Liverpool born music writer with passion for punk and Everton FC
