Paul added another hit album to his repertoire as a solo artist this September with “Egypt Station.” “Egypt Station” is Macca’s 18th studio album, his first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and his eighth album to reach the top of the Billboard 200.
“Egypt Station” reaches across genres, even across time, to produce a stylistically and narratively diverse, yet still coherent and understandable “train,” as McCartney designed the album, stopping at “stations” (each song) as the album advances.
“Egypt Station” explores a few different themes, the biggest of which being the passing of time. The track “I Don’t Know” tells of the troubles McCartney’s facing now that he’s older, but “Hand in Hand,” “Dominoes” and “Back In Brazil” reassure listeners that all will work out in the future, while “Do It Now” is Macca directly imploring listeners to seize opportunities now while they have the opportunity.
Noting the passing of time, McCartney uses sounds and stories from music of times past. The lines in “Come On To Me” harken back to the Beatles’ first song from its first album, the familiar Brit-pop sounds of “Come On To Me,” “Hunt You Down,” and “Back in Brazil.” His ode to his time spent with his guitar in “Confidante.” Even in the classic blues story of losing a lover retold over rock instrumentals in “Hunt You Down,” or his nothing-less-than-badass, electric guitar-only outro reminding listeners what rock and roll is all about, “C-Link.”
As nearly always with McCartney, “Egypt Station” was nowhere near lacking in love songs or political statements; McCartney edges near an explicit rating with the track “Fuh You” and delights listeners with his bouncy “Come On To Me.” “People Want Peace” follows up on his past albums and songs criticizing war, and “Despite Repeated Warnings” take aim at those failing to act on climate change despite mountains of evidence for it and the warnings for the future state of the world if we ignore climate change.
The main shortcoming of this album is the lack of narrative continuity. Tracks jump from McCartney narrating a story from his life to him singing a song applicable to any listener to him telling a completely fictional story. Nevertheless, McCartney’s instrumentation leaves the listener finishing the album with a sense of completion.
For any Paul McCartney fan- or fan of rock in general- “Egypt Station” is a worthwhile listen. “Egypt Station” certainly is a notable addition to the McCartney canon with its handful of memorable songs and all-around enjoyable stories.
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