Paul McCartney will kick off 2012 with an album of cover tunes and two original songs, he said on Monday, offering fans a glimpse of the music that inspired one of the biggest rock bands ever, the Beatles. The yet-to-be-titled album, due for release on February 7, will showcase the former Beatle on a “deeply personal journey” covering classic American songs that inspired him and band-mate John Lennon when they wrote their own tunes. “When I kind of got into song writing, I realised how well structured these songs were, and I think I took a lot of my lessons from them,” McCartney said in a statement. Teaming up with Grammy-winning jazz musician Diana Krall and producer Tommy LiPuma, the ex-Beatles frontman recorded his vocals in a booth without instruments for the first time in his musical career. While the full track list is yet to be revealed, the album will feature collaborations on two new, original songs, with legendary musicians Stevie Wonder on ‘Only Our Hearts’ and Eric Clapton on ‘My Valentine’.
