Driving Rain

Released in November 2001, Driving Rain represents a unique pivot in Paul McCartney's solo discography. Recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles over just two weeks, the album was produced by David Kahne and features a tight-knit band including guitarists Rusty Anderson and Abe Laboriel Jr., who would become his long-term touring core. The recording process was famously rapid, with McCartney aiming for a 'live' feel that avoided the meticulous overdubbing of his previous effort, Flaming Pie. The album is notable for its length and its willingness to indulge in long-form jams, most notably the ten-minute 'Rinse the Raindrops.' Lyrically, it oscillates between the optimism of new love and the somber reflection following the September 11 attacks, the latter of which inspired the hidden closing track 'Freedom.' While it received mixed reviews for its sprawling nature, it remains a critical document of McCartney's 21st-century revitalization and his embrace of a more rugged, less manicured aesthetic.