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Celebrate Paul McCartney's 'New' Album With Our 10 Favorite 21st Century Macca Tracks

Music lovers rejoiced yesterday as the unsurpassable Sir Paul McCartney dropped his latest long-player, the apply-titled New! With a little help from master producers like Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) and Paul Epworth (Adele), the record is attracting rave reviews from pretty much anything with a pair of ears. But honestly, do you expect anything less from the former Beatle?

While many "artists of a certain age" have struggled for relevance (and new ideas) in recent years, our very favorite Knight of the Turntable has never had a problem delivering always the goods well into his seventies. The man dominated the face of 20th century music, but it seems like he's making a stab at the 21st century, too! Just give a listen to our 10 favorite (and under appreciated) latter-year gems from one of the greatest artists of all time. Enjoy!

10. "Lonely Road" from Driving Rain (2001)

As the millennium turned, McCartney issued his first album of totally original material since the tragic death of his wife Linda in 1998. Not usually one to wear his deepest emotions on his sleeve, this opening track seemed like an uncharacteristically honest expression of his heartbreak and fear of growing older without his beloved companion of 30 years.

9. "Driving Rain" from Driving Rain (2001)

Still keeping on the road theme, the title track to Paul's first 21st century debut is a bouncy and (dare I say it) Beatle-esque pop song. The lyrics can be little pieces of nursey-rhyme fluff at times, but the chorus will get lodged into your brain for days...both classic McCartney trademarks!

"Vanilla Sky" from Music From Vanilla Sky (2001)

Rock loving filmmaker and former Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe hit the musical mother lode when Macca agreed to pen the title song to his Almost Famous followupSadly, the film was not as well received as the prior one. But hey, it had a killer soundtrack! This spacey folk-gem was the crown jewel, of course.

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (featuring U2) Live at Live 8 (2005)

Obviously this isn't a new composition, but it certainly was a thrill to watch U2 back the Beatle as he opened the international Live 8 festivals. The performance was released as a charity single on iTunes later that day, breaking records for the fastest selling online song of all time.

"Promise To You Girl" from Chaos and Creation In The Backyard (2005)

Paul lulls us into a false state of complacency on this one, starting things off with a mournful piano ballad about "looking through the backyard of my life." Then he kicks out some pretty funky boogie-woogie  piano, the most furious and complex he's done (arguably) since "Lady Madonna" nearly 40 years before!

"That Was Me" from Memory Almost Full (2007)

Paul spent the greater part of his solo career trying to distance himself from his Beatle past, and was originally reluctant to play songs from the Fab Four days during performances. It wasn't until recent years that Beatles tunes began to outweigh the Wings-era cuts, and his Hofner violin bass -the trademark of his Beatlemania persona- became a staple at his gigs. On this stomper, he finally seems to gleefully take a look back and embrace what he's achieved. "That was me!" he sings with almost a trace of disbelief, as he recalls moments "in a cellar...Merseybeatin' with the band."  Personal memories for him, but it's musical history to the rest of us.

"House Of Wax" from Memory Almost Full (2007)

Passion drips from every line of this apocalyptic barnstormer. Apparently written about his views on celebrity status, the track is noticeably darker than his usual sunny musical outlook. And we dig it! The haunted ascending howls at the end of the chorus are chilling. His voice is raw but strong as it strains to hit the notes, as if making one last shot  to revisit his own high-water mark.

"Dance Till We're High" (as The Fireman) from Electric Arguments (2008)

The secret's out! For years, music fans theorized that the mysteriously anonymous electronica collective known as The Fireman was actually a McCartney side project. But for this 2008 record (their third since 1993), the group finally came clean as Sir Paul and master producer Youth. Going for a looser approach, each track on the album was recorded in only a day, and the result was arguably McCartney's most interesting work in years. While pegged as ambient and airy, there were some seriously heavy bluesy tracks ("Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight", among them), as well as this uber catchy cut. "We had a ball making this album," he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "It was a great departure because it seemed more like improv theater. In the improv spirit, there are William Burroughs-type cut-ups in the lyrics."

"I Want To Come Home" from the soundtrack of Everything's Fine (2010)

Sir Paul earned himself a Golden Globe nomination for this soundtrack standout from the Robert De Niro movie. Underrated performances all around!

"Out Of Site" by the Bloody Beetroots ft. Paul McCartney and Youth from Hide (2013)

Speaking of the hard rockin' "Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight," McCartney and Youth teamed up with the Bloody Beetroots's Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo in 2013 to revisit the song as an all out aural assault, fit to fill a stadium or a dance club! For those of you who think John Lennon was solely responsible for the Beatles' hard edge, just listen to those raunchy vocals. Even at 71, Macca can get down and dirty with the best of 'em!

[Photo: Christiana Cefalu/EMI/Hear Music]