Ringo is known, among other things, for his distinctive groove behind the drum kit, but in recent times his musical groove has become a touch too comfy, too predictable. The stream of EPs he’s released since 2021 have yielded diminishing returns, with his last one – 2023’s Rewind Forward – the most disappointing yet, a ho-hum batch of songs (despite one being written by Macca) which largely saw him going through the motions of tired “peace and love” tropes and routine pop/rock work-outs he’s done countless times before. So when he confirmed last year he was not only working on a full-blown country album (helmed by legendary producer T Bone Burnett) but also that his next EP would be entirely written and produced by Linda Perry, in-demand former leader of ‘90s band 4 Non Blondes, it seemed he was at last keen to step out of his comfort zone and let others steer him in new (or at least less familiar) directions. So is his new EP, Crooked Boy, a return to form, a much-needed shake-up of the formula sprinkled with some of the inimitable Starr-dust? Well, sort of. Partly. Yes and no.
You know right from the get-go that Crooked Boy is going to be a little different, just by looking at the cover. In contrast to the interchangeable images of an octogenarian Ringo flashing the peace sign amid a garish cod-psychedelic mesh of colour which have adorned the previous EPs, we get a moody black-and-white shot of him emerging from the sea on Miami Beach during The Beatles’ triumphant first US visit in February 1964. The photo was chosen by Linda Perry herself, in keeping with her leading role in the project. After penning a couple of tunes for his earlier EPs, Perry last year asked Ringo if she could craft an entire future release for him, and subsequently came up with the four songs here. Indeed, considering she wrote, produced, engineered and sang on all the tracks (and chose the artwork) – with Ringo just adding vocals and drums at his home studio afterwards – it does beg the question how much Crooked Boy is a Linda Perry release with guest appearances by Ringo Starr, rather than an actual Starr record.
However, as all the numbers were created very much with Ringo in mind (something which was often the case with collaborators in the early part of his solo career), I think the material fits him well. Along with Perry’s tailored lyrics and slick studio sound, another bonus is the presence of Nick Valensi of The Strokes on guitar for all the tracks, adding youthful vigour and a fresh approach compared to the lead parts usually played on Ringo records by tried-and-trusted old pals like The Eagles’ Joe Walsh and Toto’s Steve Lukather. So the EP does sound different to what we’re accustomed to and, on the whole, is a definite step-up from Rewind Forward. But I don’t feel it goes far enough or takes sufficient risks to be quite the upgrade I was hoping for.
The EP opens with ‘February Sky’, a mid-tempo ‘look-at-the-state-of-the-world’ stomper which seems obligatory for a Ringo record these days. The sketchy lyrics trot out the usual vague talk of a revolution and the melody isn’t especially memorable, but it is sung with gusto and commitment, with Ringo’s voice thankfully free of any numbing studio effects. The real star of the show, though, is Valensi’s spiky, wailing guitar, particularly during the instrumental break, which gives the tune some welcome bite. It’s telling that Ringo asked Perry to lighten the mood by switching out the lyric “these dark days” for “these brighter days” in the final chorus – not only an unnecessary change (after all, why would you want to start a revolution in brighter days?) but one which also underscores his failure to realise that you need a slightly downbeat, gritty song here and there. They throw a bit of shade into the mix, and he’s not bad at doing them – the brooding ‘Shadows on the Wall’, for example, was comfortably the best track on his last EP.
He actually acknowledges life isn’t all peace and love on the second song, ‘Adeline’ (“Life is good/But not all the time”), which – ironically – is the the most Ringo-ish number on the disc. It has a warm, catchy chorus, homespun lyrics which are positive without being glib or cringey, and some pretty, mid-period Beatles flourishes are woven into the backing track. He even shouts out a beseeching “C’mon everybody!” before the final chorus, in classic Ringo style. His vocal does sound a bit croaky in places but that simply adds a feeling of heartfelt authenticity. Having said all that, the switch in tempo for the choruses is a bit clunky to my ears, and the track as a whole never builds the kind of momentum the early bars promise. It’s a sweet, decent enough song but there’s nothing especially noteworthy about it. It ends up being just another modern-day Ringo tune – not bad, not great, just okay.
By contrast, ‘Gonna Need Someone’ is a real departure. Written after Ringo specifically asked Perry to include a “rocker” on the EP, it fizzes along with real manic energy and isn’t quite like anything he’s done before. It’s less in the style of previous balls-to-the-wall Ringo rock tunes like ‘Devil Woman’ or ‘Mindfield’ and more of a low-fi indie garage band track, with Valensi’s rough-and-ready guitar again very much to the fore. The rapid-fire lyrics have a darker tone, with references to “a big black dog” and “no one left to trust”, and the call-and-response vocals in the chorus are a blast. Ringo sounds like he’s struggling to keep up a bit on the drums at times, but for someone pushing 84 it’s a damn good performance nonetheless. It’s not the best song you’ve ever heard, but it is a lot of fun and so great to hear him still going full-throttle 62 years after he was tearing up venues like the Cavern and Hamburg’s Star Club with the proto indie band.
Last, but most definitely not least, is the EP’s title track and its stand-out moment. Though he’s (surprisingly) not described it at such, it’s actually the latest in the line of overtly-autobiographical tunes he’s been putting out since ‘Liverpool 8’ in 2008. But, unlike the rather on-the-nose recollections of 2012’s ‘In Liverpool’ or 2015’s ‘Rory and the ‘Hurricanes’, ‘Crooked Boy’ takes a slightly more poetic, impressionistic approach, capturing the flavour of Ringo’s life rather than spelling out names and places. And, on the whole, it’s the better for it, with vivid references to crumbling plaster on the ceiling, staring at the stars, falling into a coma and the like (even the inevitable peace-and-love interjections don’t feel too forced). In particular, I find the lines “I hope these aren’t just memories I’ve borrowed/Piecеs from a less ordinary day” quite touching. Musically, it has a fine, quirky melody and (perhaps reflecting Perry’s early career) has a strong ’90s guitar-rock, almost Britpop feel to it, with more impressive work from Valensi. It’s not just the best track here, but among the most worthwhile Ringo has released in recent times.
Videos have been produced for all four songs, with Ringo featured singing alongside Nick Valensi in ‘Gonna Need Someone’ and ‘Crooked Boy’. There’s random footage of people kissing and flashing peace signs in the former, while the later has some very odd, rudimentary animation of four colourful figures crooning along to the tune (whether this is some kind of reference to The Beatles is anyone’s guess). The real draw, though, are the vintage clips of Ringo dotted in across the videos, specifically from the Beatlemania era (including his 1965 wedding day with Maureen), filming the 1968 movie Candy, shooting the 1971 promo for ‘It Don’t Come Easy’ in his back garden and showcasing his pony-tailed 1989 self onstage with the first incarnation of the All-Starr Band (bizarrely, he looks older there than he does now). While nice to see, it’s a shame the video directors were limited to such a small (and scattershot) portion of his archive, when there must be a wealth of rare or unseen material in his vaults. Indeed, it makes you wish that he would commission an authorised documentary account of his life before it’s too late. While he seems happy to look back on his past in songs like ‘Crooked Boy’ and in the various photo collections he’s been putting out over the past decade or so, he seems to have no interest in properly revisiting and reflecting on his life, career and music beyond that, which is a real pity.
Crooked Boy is the fifth of Ringo’s EPs, and I’d put it in the middle of the pack, a definite improvement on the last two. Working with one writer/producer gives it more cohesion, the sound is sparky and the songs more vital, and – unlike a few recent numbers – he never sounds like he’s phoning it in. That said, I wish Perry had taken more risks and broadened the musical palette a little, pushing him down less-travelled roads. ‘Coming Undone’, the lovely country-folk tune she provided for 2021’s Change The World EP, suited him to a T and signposts what could have been, but the numbers here never stray far from the standard pop/rock lane. In a way, it’s a shame they didn’t opt to make a full-blown album together, which would have given a bit more room to manoeuvre and flex their creative muscles. That said, this record still offers up three solid songs and one very good one, a tune which – had this been his last release – would make for a fitting, valedictory end to his career. But with a country album on the way he’s clearly not finished just yet, and Crooked Boy shows there may yet be some more sparkling Starr-dust to savour.
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