{$Paul McCartney} retreated from the spotlight of {$the Beatles} by recording his first solo album at his home studio, performing nearly all of the instruments himself. Appropriately, {^McCartney} has an endearingly ragged, homemade quality that makes even its filler -- and there is quite a bit of filler -- rather ingratiating. Only a handful of songs rank as full-fledged {$McCartney} classics, but those songs -- the light {\folk-pop} of {&"That Would Be Something,"} the sweet, gentle {&"Every Night,"} the ramshackle {$Beatles} leftover {&"Teddy Boy,"} and the staggering {&"Maybe I'm Amazed"} (not coincidentally the only rocker on the album) -- are full of all the easy melodic charm that is {$McCartney}'s trademark. The rest of the album is charmingly slight, especially if it is read as a way to bring {$Paul} back to earth after the heights of {$the Beatles}. At the time the throwaway nature of much of the material was a shock, but it has become charming in retrospect. Unfortunately, in retrospect it also appears as a harbinger of the nagging mediocrity that would plague {$McCartney}'s entire solo career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide