Music reviews

Paul McCartney *«Ocean's Kingdom» *

Paul McCartney's first work for ballet was quite possibly the most successful expression of all his creative ideas regarding classical music - one way or another, one gets the impression that he has been writing music for ballet productions all his life. Created specifically for the New York City Ballet's new performance for their 2011-2012 season, Ocean's Kingdom is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet in its plot, only this time the whole action takes place in the depths of the ocean, where the princess of the underwater of the world fights for her pure love with a representative of power and evil, who also seeks her hand. Such a simple plot caused a lot of negative reviews, but one can hardly say something bad about the music itself, especially about its part called “Hall of Dance”, in which Gershwin himself “woke up” inside McCartney, thanks to his own efforts. The album is unlikely to become a huge sensation, but Paul McCartney, without a doubt, knows better than anyone else what a real melody is.

Andy Gill
www.independent.co.uk

Brian Wilson*«In the Key Of Disney» *

Anything can be negative, but not the fame of such emotional music written for Walt Disney's animated films, and even if you don't like it for some reason, you are most likely just lying to yourself. Even such an unrighteous genius as Brian Wilson is well aware that the devil himself has nothing to do with the best melodies written for these cartoons. Try to avoid meaningless smirks when a large band of musicians play the banjo "The Bare Necessities" and Wilson himself almost sobs while singing the lizard on "When You Wish Upon A Star". Or when Wilson sings about tigers in Can You Feel The Love Tonight in his subdued voice? Frankly, Wilson's overtly joyful "sha-la-la" in "Kiss The Girl" from The Little Mermaid is enough to make us kind of forgive him for his refusal to join The Beach Boys during their tour. dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the group.

Leonie Cooper
www.nme.com