Egypt Station [Traveller's Edition]

by Paul McCartney

Overview

Teaming with Greg Kurstin -- a producer best-known for helming Adele's Grammy-winning 25, but also a musician in his own right, collaborating with Inara George in the savvy retro duo the Bird and the Bee -- is a signal from Paul McCartney that he intends Egypt Station, his 18th solo album, to be a thoroughly modern affair. It is, but not in the way that the glitzy 2013 album New, with its fair share of Mark Ronson productions, was. Kurstin doesn't specialize in gaudiness, he coaxes his collaborators to act like a bright, colorful version of their best selves, which is what he achieves with McCartney here. Apart from "Fuh You" -- a vulgar throwaway novelty recorded with Ryan Tedder -- Egypt Station is a handsome and clever collection where McCartney hits many familiar marks but the difference is, he gets there in a different fashion than before. Perhaps the mini-suites, pleas for peace, rocking boogie, and romantic ballads are the very definition of McCartney's wheelhouse, but he takes some subtle chances here, both in the arrangement and, especially, the lyrics. All the slower songs are peppered with haunting images of darkness creeping at the edges, while McCartney revives the carnality that marked "Press" -- not just on the straightforward "Fuh You" but on "Come on to Me," a considerably better song than the Tedder exercise. Such twists are welcome but what's satisfying about Egypt Station is what's always satisfying about a McCartney record: the hooks and imagination that are so rampant seem effortless. The thing that Kurstin brings to the table is a refinement, letting McCartney's ideas shine incandescently while also revealing that a record this clever isn't tossed off, it's crafted in every respect. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/14/2018
Label:	Universal
UPC:	4988031296240

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul McCartney   Primary Artist,Bass,Drums,Piano,Vocals,Harmonica,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Harpsichord,Synthesizer,Moog Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Sao Paulo Choir   Choir/Chorus
Muscle Shoals Horns   Band
Page LA Studio Chorus   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Alex Pasco   Engineer
Randy Merrill   Mastering
Alex Parker   Producer
Gary Card   Design,Art Direction
Ferry Gouw   Design,Art Direction
Brandon Michael Collins   Arranger
Michael Freeman   Mixing Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Derek Stockwell   Mixing Assistant
Zach Skelton   Producer,Instrumentation
MJ Kim   Photography
Ben Chappell   Producer
Richard Miller   Producer
Issy Bingham   Producer
Jess Whiteley   Producer
Ross Martin   Producer
Steve Ithell   Producer
Aoife Corbett   Producer
Paul McCartney   Composer,Producer,Paintings
David Campbell   Arranger
Keith Smith   Technical Manager
Scott Rodger   Project Manager
Paul "Pablo" Boothroyd   Engineer
Steve Orchard   Mixing,Engineer
Rusty Anderson   Instrumentation
John Harris   Engineer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Sam Rock   Photography
Sarah Brown   Producer
Ryan Tedder   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Paul "Wix" Wickens   Instrumentation
Brian Ray   Instrumentation
Alan Broadbent   Arranger
Abe Laboriel, Jr.   Instrumentation
Greg Kurstin   Producer,Instrumentation
Giles Martin   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Nancy Jeffries   A&R