Styled as a conspicuous companion piece to
Tug of War
,
Pipes of Peace
mirrors its 1982 cousin in many ways: its title track holds up a mirror to its forefather -- and, if that weren't enough,
Paul McCartney
serves up the knowing "Tug of Peace," an almost-electro collage that twists the songs into
McCartney II
territory -- it serves up two showcases for duets with a former
Motown
star along with a cameo from fusion superstar
Stanley Clarke
and, most importantly, it is also produced by former
Fab Four
ringleader
George Martin
. Some of that production occurred during the sessions for
, with roughly half of the record culled from outtakes from that album, but
has a distinctly different feel than its predecessor, seeming fleet, adventurous, and modern, almost as an accidental riposte to the consciously classical
. Sometimes that whimsy slides right into silliness -- witness "Average Person," a music hall showstopper inexplicably shoehorned into the middle of the second side -- but that lightness allows
McCartney
to indulge in an instrumental funk collaboration with
Clarke
("Hey Hey"), a super-slick bit of yacht pop with
Jackson
("The Man"), a bit of confession disguised as a synthesized soft rock lark ("The Other Me"), and a galloping revision of
Red Rose Speedway
with "Keep Under Cover." If
gets a little sticky on the ballad "So Bad," his melody saves him and the album's other two hits have aged exceptionally well: "Say Say Say" hits hard, sounding as funky as anything on
Thriller
, and "Pipes of Peace" achieves an earned grace. Perhaps
doesn't have the gravitas of
but it offers something equally valuable: a portrait of an impeccable craftsman at play. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine