PAUL McCARTNEY: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Parlophone)

McCARTNEY'S best work in a fair while is the result of him staying true to his muse, partly due to the demands of producer Nigel Godrich. Macca plays most of the instruments and is in fine voice on what is one of his most personal works, only occasionally haunted by the ghost of The Beatles (on the Blackbird-like Jenny Wren and the "very twee'' English Tea). Not-so-silly love songs and even some cutting comments (Riding to Vanity Fair) make up this mostly mellow affair.

JEFF CRAWFORD