Curiously, the one song that sounds the most McCartney-esque is a rather charming rendition of Frank Loesser’s “The Inch Worm.” Though I could’ve done without the children’s choir providing backing vocals, this arrangement would’ve fit in on just about any McCartney album. Heck, if I didn’t already know it was a fifty-year-old song, I might’ve mistaken it for a long-delayed sequel to McCartney’s own “We All Stand Together.” Arguably the most unusual and risky choice for the album, “The Inch Worm” stands out as one of its best tracks.
Kisses on the Bottom is unlikely to begin a new phase in McCartney’s career à la Rod Stewart and his Great American Songbook series. But thankfully that doesn’t seem to have been his intent, having taken a more subtle, refined approach than Stewart. This will most likely go down as a minor footnote in McCartney’s discography, but it’s a pleasant enough one.
There is a deluxe version of Kisses on the Bottom available, but beware – different retailers are selling different versions. The standard deluxe version includes a download code for the February 9th, 2012 performance McCartney is giving at Capitol Studios as well as three glossy, color postcards. But the Target deluxe version is the one to get. In addition to the aforementioned items, the album is augmented by two additional tracks. McCartney’s own “Baby’s Request,” the closing song on 1979’s Back to the Egg, is reworked by Krall and company. The results are excellent, far outshining the original version. The other track is a lovely reading of “My One and Only Love,” a song that McCartney admits in the Target deluxe edition’s liner notes he was previously unfamiliar with. These extra songs are well worth the extra couple of bucks, but keep in mind you can only find them at Target or Paul McCartney’s official website.
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1 - d.j.
He produced a recording of Inch Worm for Mary Hopkin on her debut LP back in 1968.