I wasn’t prepared for the reaction to Paul McCartney’s recent appearance on Saturday Night Live. While plenty of people praised the legendary singer-songwriter for still getting out there and performing at almost 84 years old, there was a notable undercurrent of negativity as well. The latter mostly came down to raw ageism: “You’re old now, so sit down and be quiet.”
No doubt McCartney’s fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Peter Frampton—a man who loves to laugh—would appreciate the irony here, as in recent years he’s been forced to sit down, but resolutely refused to be quiet. Adding to everything the author of the best-selling live album of all time has been through since his Seventies heyday—epic professional and personal ups and downs, followed by a substantial late-career creative renaissance—in 2019 Frampton was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, an incurable condition that gradually weakens muscles.
When I saw Frampton live soon after his diagnosis, he played most of the show seated. To this faithful Frampton Comes Alive listener, it made zero difference in his performance, and he’s been busier than ever since. That same year he delivered All Blues (an album of blues covers), followed by Frampton Forgets The Words (a terrific 2021 set of instrumental covers) and now Carry The Light, his 16th studio album and first set of rock originals since 2010.
The beautiful thing about having reached a certain age and station in life (Frampton recently turned 76) is that there’s just no reason anymore not to do exactly what you want. As a result, Carry The Light is liberally sprinkled with guests, focuses on vocal tracks while also including a pair of instrumentals, and features perhaps the most personal lyrics of Frampton’s long career—and it all works.
It works because Frampton sounds inspired here, rejuvenated by recent rounds of touring that were never guaranteed to happen, as well as the at-times frenetic pace of activity he has undertaken in an effort to make as much music as he can while his body still allows. Carry The Light
celebrates and embodies that determination in a beautiful way.
The opening title track is a revelation, incorporating native chanting and rhythms courtesy of members of the Shawnee Tribe, a pulsing, vibrant anthem to resilience and persistence: “If we all come together / We can change the darkest days.” It’s one of the most unique tracks in the British guitar god’s entire catalogue, striking and ultimately triumphant.
Equally notable is “Buried Treasure,” about which I have a confession. I didn’t read through the album credits and lyric sheet before my first listen and was well into the second verse of this track before it hit me: “Wait… the phrases he’s singing… every single one is a Tom Petty song title…!” And then realized the guitars, by Frampton and Pat Burgeson, have that distinctive Tom Petty / Mike Campbell tone and bite, complemented nicely by bursts of Hammond organ—played by, oh yeah, Mr. Benmont Tench.
It’s a terrific tribute to a fellow rock’n’roll icon, mostly because it’s heartfelt, an adjective that could be extended to this entire album. Certainly “I’m Sorry Elle” wears its heart in its sleeve, a gentle acoustic ballad apologizing to his granddaughter for missing her birth, while offering earnest love and support.
These three tunes also underscore what Frampton is about here: taking stock of his life so far and examining his priorities, regrets, and wishes for the future. The rather Harrison-esque “Breaking The Mold” is very much in this vein, a mid-tempo number about “building a brand new me,” featuring co-lead vocals from a luminous Sheryl Crow. The similarly trenchant blues-with-keys number “I Can’t Let It Be” considers the personal cost of our divisive national conversation, a turn toward external concerns that’s amplified by “Lions At The Gate,” a thundering call to arms featuring Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello’s banshee licks and co-lead vocals by Peter’s son Julian Frampton.
“Islamadora” offers something of a cleansing breath, a soaring instrumental featuring Frampton trading pungent solos with guest H.E.R. Then the thrummy, contemplative “Can You Take Me There,” featuring a gorgeous intro by saxophonist Bill Evans, puts into words the overwhelm so many of us feel these days: “I wanna know / Where do you go / When it all becomes too much… Can you take me there?”
Evans sticks around for the similarly topical yet rather proggy “Tinderbox,” which interpolates slow, jazzy segments with considerably heavier blues-rock moments. The album closes out with “At The End Of The Day,” an unhurried instrumental that feels both sunny and sad.
While there might be fewer guitar pyrotechnics from Frampton here than in the past, his playing remains sharp, pure, and tasteful, an old master adding yet another notch to his legacy. The album’s production is both punchy and crisp, helmed by Chuck Ainlay (Dire Straits / Mark Knopfler, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris) with Peter and Julian Frampton. Julian is also credited with co-writing all but the last of these tunes, making this a genuine family affair.
If there’s one thing the aging cadre of Sixties and Seventies rockers have proven, it’s that you never know which late-career album might turn out to be their last. Peter Frampton has faced many forms of adversity across the years gone by since his 50-years-ago career apex, but against those considserable odds, Carry The Light presents an artist near the top of his game, still creating new music that’s meaningful, memorable, and full of life—and not coincidentally, light.