Egypt Station
by Paul McCartney
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Sep 7, 2018
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 11, 2018
    60
    Egypt Station is easily one of the most forward-thinking records of McCartney’s later career and a surprisingly welcome return. We might wish he could be more thoughtful and elegant in his older age, and maybe even a little bit cooler, but that wouldn’t make him Paul McCartney. Thankfully, he generally keeps his groan-worthy impulses to a minimum.
  2. DIY Magazine
    Sep 7, 2018
    60
    hile ‘Back in Brazil’ is a tad baffling, ‘Caesar Rock’ doesn’t quite hit the right notes, and ‘People Want Peace’ feels a tad trite, even from one of the (probable) pioneers of the peace hand signal. Still, it’s hard to leave Egypt Station without a grin.
  3. The Guardian
    Sep 6, 2018
    60
    Egypt Station is not without flaws. Quite aside from the misstep of Fuh You, it could use a trim. ... At its best, however, Egypt Station is an affirmation of an enduring talent, the work of an artist who has no need to try and be anything other than what he is.
  5. Record Collector
    Aug 29, 2018
    60
    So, yes, good album, with some obligatory pratfalls, very few longeurs and several quality flashes of the innate melodic gift that, after all, put him precisely where he is. During those best bits, the “he’s 76, after all” qualifier becomes utterly redundant.
  6. Pitchfork
    Sep 11, 2018
    58
    Egypt Station reveals itself to be another well-crafted collection of confections, reminiscent of nothing so much as McCartney’s oft-maligned 1986 release Press to Play, another burnished recording pitched between modern and retro, where Paul couldn’t resist indulging in shiny new sounds or dirty jokes.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Sep 5, 2018
    58
    This is very much a Paul McCartney solo album: the uneven product of compulsive songwriting that includes several delightful songs, several terrible ones, and a lot in between. It wouldn’t be fair to say he sounds out of ideas, because this formula describes a whole lot of his non-Beatles albums going back decades.
  8. Slant Magazine
    Sep 11, 2018
    50
    While the loping acoustic guitar figure that drives “Happy With You” isn't nearly as compositionally compelling, it's one of the only other songs here in which it sounds like McCartney is actually singing about something real. ... There are a few other tonally comparable songs on the 16-track Egypt Station, but the rest are largely bogged down in some eye-rolling cliché of one kind or another.

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Most Discussed Album of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 88 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 88
  3. Negative: 12 out of 88
  1. Cbjones5150
    Sep 11, 2018
    10
    So much better when listened to as a whole album!

    Well worth the 5 year wait from Paul! I was a bit nervous as I only liked the single "I    So much better when listened to as a whole album!

    Well worth the 5 year wait from Paul! I was a bit nervous as I only liked the single "I Don't Know" and while "Come On To Me" and "Fuh You" are catchy and over time have grown on me, they are the weakest songs on the Album (IMHO).

    I won't go thru each song but the strongest tracks for me are: "Happy With You", "Dominoes", "Despite Repeated Warnings" and the three song closer "Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link". You run the gamut from ballads, to mid tempo to rockers.
    The remaining songs are all very good too and with each listen I appreciate the album as a whole more and more.

    The only clunkers I would point out are: "Fuh You" and "People Want Peace" - these songs could have easily been left off the final version as at 14 tracks that would be plenty!

    At 76, Mac is still relevant and creating amazing music. I'm thankful for that.

    If you like the Beatles, Classic Rock or anything from Paul's solo career you will not be disappointed.    … Full Review »
  2. joshdkaye
    Sep 7, 2018
    6
    Quirky and fun album without much of a concept. Could have done without a lot of the songs on it. I'm amazed at how great his voice sounds atQuirky and fun album without much of a concept. Could have done without a lot of the songs on it. I'm amazed at how great his voice sounds at 76. I guess, as part of the greatest pop band of all time, McCartney doesn't have a lot to prove anymore. Let him have his fun!… Full Review »
  3. pellicciderek
    Nov 15, 2018
    2
    Paul lost his mojo and his best sidemen decades ago. George Martin would have no doubt consigned these poorly written, over produced demos toPaul lost his mojo and his best sidemen decades ago. George Martin would have no doubt consigned these poorly written, over produced demos to the rubbish bin.… Full Review »
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