Driving Rain
| Driving Rain | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Paul McCartney | ||||||||||
| Released | 12 November 2001 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 16 February – June 2001 | |||||||||
| Studio | Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||||
| Length | 67:21 | |||||||||
| Label | Parlophone | |||||||||
| Producer | David Kahne | |||||||||
| Paul McCartney chronology | ||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | (mixed) |
| Blender | |
| Dotmusic | 3.5/5 |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| entertainment.ie | |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| NME | 6/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10 |
| Uncut | |
Driving Rain is the twelfth studio album by Paul McCartney under his own name, recorded and released in 2001 as a double LP and as a single CD.
Clearly determined to follow the example of Run Devil Run's brisk making, Driving Rain – except for two songs – was cut with David Kahne co-producing in two weeks, starting in February 2001 and with a set of new musicians whom McCartney intended on backing him on tour. The cover of the album featured a photograph taken with a Casio wristwatch that had a built-in camera, and not a Game Boy Camera as commonly believed.
Driving Rain features many songs inspired by and written for Heather Mills. "Back in the Sunshine Again" was co-written by McCartney and his son, James. On 11 September 2001, McCartney was sitting on a plane in New York City when the terrorist attacks occurred and was able to witness the events from his seat. Incensed at the tragedy and determined to respond, he composed "Freedom" and helped organise (alongside Harvey Weinstein) The Concert for New York City, a massive all star show at Madison Square Garden on 20 October where "Freedom" was performed to a very receptive audience.
The song "About You" was written for Mills, as thanks for helping McCartney grieving the death of his first wife, Linda McCartney.
In November 2001, Driving Rain was released to generally strong reviews but stunned many with its very low sales. The album sold 66,000 copies in its first week in the US. Perhaps due to the lack of a hit single to support it, Driving Rain peaked at number 46 in the UK, and became McCartney's lowest-selling album in his homeland. The US reaction was a little stronger, with the album peaking at number 26 and being certified Gold by the RIAA.
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