Released: 2026

Genres: Pop Rock, Art Pop, Folk Pop

The Musiquarium’s McCartney III Review Score: 7.5 out of 10

With 1970’s McCartney (his first solo album after The Beatles; an influence on the lo-fi genre) and 1980’s McCartney II (his first album after Wings; an influence on the synthpop genre), Paul had been starting off the decades with polarizing but unknowingly important self-titled albums, which were produced, written and fully-performed by nobody but himself (save for some Linda McCartney vocals). As the first new self-titled album in 40 years, McCartney III carried a lot of weight and expectation.

Where the past two McCartney records followed break-ups with his previous bands, McCartney III follows no such event — instead, this iteration arrives in the midst of a global pandemic, where Paul McCartney is once again thrown into isolation at the start of a new decade.

The acoustic guitars of Long Tailed Winter Bird begin the album, with some of McCartney’s most interesting guitar playing in a long time. The album’s sole single Find My Way is a jubilant rocker that shines through the darkness of the future with it’s breezy instrumental flourishes. Lavatory Lil is the type of big dumb boyish blues rocker that made a song like Hi Hi Hi endearing. Deep Deep Feeling is an 8 and a half-minute long epic that conjures up an atmosphere.

Slidin‘ has that sort of dark, sultry blues rock that made Arctic Monkeys’ AM such a blockbuster hit. The Kiss of Venus is the closest song here to a typical McCartney song, but the harpsichord towards the end gives it that extra spice that keeps it from sounding uninspired. Seize the Day has that sort of Queen vibe, but less bombastic. Deep Down has a dark and sensual groove to it.

While McCartney III likely won’t go on to influence any future genres like its predecessors did, it’s an interesting and worthy end to the McCartney trilogy, one that shows that even approaching 80, Paul McCartney still has plenty of ideas left.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Paul McCartney on Discogs.

Back to the 2020 Album Reviews Guide or the Paul McCartney Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard