Paul McCartney reps say no comment to report Beatle working on new album

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McCartney reps say no comment to report Beatle working on new album
Steve Marinucci
Beatles Examiner
February 2, 2016


Paul McCartney
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly

Paul McCartney representatives issued a firm “no comment” to Beatles Examiner today in response to a British newspaper report that the Beatle is working on a new album with celebrated record producer Greg Kurstin. The report, in the UK Sun, said McCartney chose to work with Kurstin after the producer's success with Adele. “Paul loved what Greg did with Adele and knows he can add something special to his record,” said an unidentified source quoted by the paper.

What certainly must have caught McCartney's attention was Adele's megahit “Hello,” which was released in October and rocketed to the top of the singles charts in the U.S., the UK and the rest of the world. Kurstin co-wrote and produced the song. According to Nielsen Music, it became the first song to hit 1 million downloads in a week's time. And it still has a hold on the top spot on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in the current Feb. 6, 2016, issue. Kurstin has also produced tracks for other music stars, including Ellie Goulding, Kelly Clarkson and Pink.

Using contemporary producers is not something new for McCartney. He used four producers for his last album, “NEW,” – Mark Ronson, Paul Epworth, Ethan Johns and Giles Martin. Ronson and Epworth were especially noted for their work with contemporary artists. Ronson's resumé prior to McCartney included Macy Gray, Jay-Z and Amy Winehouse, while Epworth's included Adele, John Legend and Florence and the Machine.

And it appears that there won't be a big directional change for the new McCartney album. “He is really embracing the pop direction of his last album and wants to continue in that vein with his new stuff,” the source said. But despite enthusiastic reviews from critics and positive reception from fans, however, “NEW” didn't bring McCartney the No. 1 album he hoped for. It peaked at No. 3 both on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. and the UK's Official Charts. McCartney released multiple versions of the album, most recently a deluxe 2-disc CD/DVD version with extra tracks.