Ringo Starr's Long Long Road serves as a soft-spoken examination of our winding lives, peppered with nostalgia but firmly grounded in contemporary Americana. The collaborations with Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent seem to elevate the material, yet the real depth emerges in the quieter moments, where lighthearted tunes mask a more somber inquiry into love and time. The album cleverly employs upbeat melodies while resisting the urge to revel in mere joviality, revealing a delicate tension that leaves one pondering the roads not taken. Starr reminds us that the journey includes not just highways, but the unexpected detours that become pivotal moments.