Ringo Starr is returning to country music with his new album, Look Up, produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. It will be released in full on January 10th, 2025, but the first preview, “Time on My Hands,” is out now. Stream it below.
Featuring 11 original songs, Look Up was recorded earlier this year in Nashville and Los Angeles. It was born out of Starr’s chance encounter with Burnett at a Los Angeles event in 2022, where Starr asked Burnett to write him a song for a project he was recording at the time. Burnett returned with nine songs steeped in country, creating the foundation for the album.
For his first country album since 1970’s Beaucoups of Blues, Starr also recruited Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves) and his frequent collaborator Bruce Sugar as co-producers. Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle each make multiple appearances on Look Up, which also features Alison Krauss, Lucius, and Larkin Poe. Vinyl and CD pre-orders are ongoing.
“I’ve always loved country music. And when I asked T Bone to write me a song, I didn’t even think at the time that it would be a country song — but of course it was, and it was so beautiful,” Starr said in a statement. “I had been making EPs at the time and so I thought we would do a country EP — but when he brought me nine songs I knew we had to make an album! And I am so glad we did. I want to thank, and send Peace & Love, to T Bone and all the great musicians who helped make this record. It was a joy making it and I hope it is a joy to listen to.”
Burnett added, “I have loved Ringo Starr and his playing and his singing and his aesthetic for as long as I can (or care to) remember. He changed the way every drummer after him played, with his inventive approach to the instrument. And, he has always sung killer rockabilly, as well as being a heartbreaking ballad singer. To get to make this music with him was something like the realization of a 60-year dream I’ve been living. None of the work that I have done through a long life in music would have happened if not for him and his band. Among other things, this album is a way I can say thank you for all he has given me and us.”
Though Starr (thankfully) doesn’t adopt a twang for “Time on My Hands,” it’s a traditional country song through and through, with slide guitar and lyrics about a lost love: “I thought it was forever/ But she had other plans/ Now these arms are empty/ And I’ve got time on my hands.”
To celebrate the album’s release, Starr will headline Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on January 14th and 15th, 2025. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 25th via AXS.
Look Up Artwork:
Look Up Tracklist:
01. Breathless (featuring Billy Strings) [written by T Bone Burnett)
02. Look Up (featuring Molly Tuttle) [written by T Bone Burnett and Daniel Tashian]
03. Time on My Hands [written by T Bone Burnett, Paul Kennerly, and Daniel Tashian]
04. Never Let Me Go (feat. Billy Strings) [written by T Bone Burnett]
05. I Live for Your Love (feat. Molly Tuttle) [written by T Bone Burnett and Billy Swan]
06. Come Back (feat. Lucius) [written by T Bone Burnett]
07. Can You Hear Me Call (feat. Molly Tuttle) [written by T Bone Burnett]
08. Rosetta (feat. Billy Strings and Larkin Poe) [written by T Bone Burnett]
09. You Want Some [written by Billy Swan]
10. String Theory (feat. Molly Tuttle) [written by T Bone Burnett and Daniel Tashian]
11. Thankful (feat. Alison Krauss) [feat. Richard Starkey and Bruce Sugar] *
* = Produced by Ringo Starr and Bruce Sugar with T Bone Burnett