The album, produced by T Bone Burnett, features 11 original songs, and collaborations with country artists such as Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and sister duo Larkin Poe. With Burnett’s extensive roots in the American country scene, ‘Look Up’ aims to recapture a more traditional sound, harking back to the artists that inspired Beatles’ hits such as ‘Act Naturally’ and ‘Don’t Pass Me By’. “Country music became pop with a pedal steel,” Starr explained when interviewed by the Associated Press last month. 

The album’s creative journey began with a single track from Burnett, which then formed the basis of an EP, before eventually expanding to a full-length album. “I love that you can take a right turn, and it turns into a really good couple of days,” Starr said.

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A post shared by Ringo Starr (@ringostarrmusic)

Honouring the home of country and western music, Starr will perform two shows at the Ryman Auditorium on January 15 and 16. He teased the upcoming performances on Instagram with a photo of the white Stetson hat from the ‘Look Up’ album cover perched on a fence outside the venue. 

While Starr’s fans have shown enthusiasm for his country pivot, wider reactions to the album have been mixed. On the Beatles subreddit, some described Starr’s voice as a “natural fit” for the genre. In contrast, the r/CountryMusicStuff subreddit expressed less enthusiasm, with one user commenting that the album’s features “aren’t enough to stop it from falling flat.”

Comment byu/NoYeezyAtWeezyHeezy from discussion inCountryMusicStuff

Critics have also offered praise without falling into ex-Beatle sycophancy. The Telegraph awarded the album three stars, while Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield gave it three and a half, saying, “‘Look Up’ is the sound of Ringo being himself, the least jaded rock star in the universe, which is exactly what we want from this wise old sage.”

Supported by two singles in 2024—’Time On My Hands’, released in October, and ‘Thankful’, released in November—’Look Up’ also includes a music video for its title track, which Starr promoted on Instagram. Despite the album’s new material, Starr has yet to perform any songs from ‘Look Up’ live, making the Nashville shows that bit more exciting for fans, with tickets available here.

While doing interviews to promote the new album, Starr used the opportunity to warn artists, listeners, and those in government, about the danger posed by AI in music. This comes amid the UK Government’s own issues surrounding copyright and AI data mining, and has been addressed by fellow Beatle Paul McCartney too.

With ‘Look Up’, Starr embraces a genre that first inspired him decades ago. Whether lauded or critiqued, the album is a testament to the King of Peace and Love’s energy and spirit at 84.

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His last foray into the genre, 1970’s Beaucoups of Blues, didn’t break records, peaking at 65 on the US Billboard 200 chart and failing to chart in the UK. Still, the album was praised for its authenticity, with some comparing it to Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline.  

Ringo’s latest effort, called Look Up, continues that tradition. The first single, ‘Time On My Hands’, features the unmistakable twang of a pedal steel, capturing the wistful melancholy of classic country ballads. Chris Farlie of W21Music even likened Ringo’s vocals on the track to those of Willie Nelson, praising the relaxed and joyful energy that Starr brings.

Speaking about the album, Starr shared: “I’ve always loved country music. When I asked T Bone to write me a song, I didn’t even think it would be a country song – but of course, it was, and it was so beautiful. I had been making EPs at the time, so I thought we’d do a country EP. But when he brought me nine songs, I knew we had to make an album!”   

Starr worked with producer T Bone Burnett, who praised Ringo’s talent and his monumental impact on music: “He changed the way every drummer after him played… none of the work I’ve done through a long life in music would have happened if not for him and his band.”

While promoting the album, Starr also touched on the Beatles’ latest release, ‘Now and Then’, a song completed using AI technology to separate John Lennon’s vocals from an old cassette demo. Like Paul McCartney, Ringo sees both the benefits and risks of AI in music. He praised its role in ‘Now and Then’, saying, “The good side is the way we used it,” but expressed concerns about its darker possibilities: “Anyone who knows how to use it can steal you. If they just play any five of my songs into the computer, AI gets all of it… They can have me sing anything and it will sound like me.”  

This anxiety echoes McCartney’s comments last week about the potential of AI to undermine young musicians’ careers. McCartney warned that unchecked AI could “wipe out” opportunities for emerging artists, an idea Ringo seems to share, especially as the technology becomes more sophisticated, and its emulations become more and more convincing.

Imagine if the genius of Paul McCartney and The Beatles was re-created by Artificial Intelligence without their permission. It sounds like a dystopian nightmare, but now even McCartney is ringing alarm bells about AI theft of creative content. #StopAIthefthttps://t.co/vc047eGguQ

— MEAA (@withMEAA) December 10, 2024

The discussion of AI comes amid broader industry discussions. In the past month, McCartney, Kate Bush, Thom Yorke, and others signed a petition urging protections against AI models being trained on copyrighted material without consent. 

Despite the growing uncertainty around AI, Starr’s upcoming album promises to showcase the joy and authenticity he’s brought to music for decades. Based on the singles released so far, it feels like a love letter to country music—a genre built on human storytelling, something even the best AI can’t replicate.

Look Up will be released on January 11, 2025, and is available to pre-save now on Spotify.