The stars are out in ‘McCartney III’

Paul McCartney’s 18th solo album, “McCartney III” was released in December 2020 to a world in isolation because of a global pandemic.

As we’ve come to expect from the legendary artist during a nearly six-decadeslong career, his effort produced relevant, well-crafted, positive Pop playfulness that, at times, recalled his 1960s experimental indulgences.

With one of the most famous musical catalogs in modern music history, he’s no stranger to having his songs covered.

This time, he hand-picked a star-studded cast of contributors to offer their takes for “McCartney III Imagined,” out for listening since April 16. Altogether, these contemporary contributions nurture the originals, creating a vibrant garden from Macca’s framework.

“Find My Way” by McCartney and Beck initiates the style flip. As the credits of this and following songs suggest, the featured artists take aspects of the original, adding their own flair. US rocker Beck’s version adds a heavily funky, warm and electronic tinge to the already heavily textured track about offering someone emotional support in the COVID-19 era.

“The Kiss of Venus” by McCartney and Dominic Fike is a delight with the 25-year-old SoundCloud artist getting soulful with lyrics like: “The kiss of Venus has got me on the go, she scored a bullseye in the early morning glow.”

Flanged but also delicate, this track does a good job modulating through styles.

Showing up with their brand of trippy, worldly Funk jams, Khruangbin’s contributions to “Pretty Boys,” with their use of dissonant vocals, hand claps and myriad sounds are right at home in this mix.

“Deep Down” (Blood Orange remix) is piano and vocal harmony heavy, now offering reverse guitar licks and backing vocals from the English artist Blood Orange in mid-tempo.

Not surprised at her inclusion, since she’s been hyped by reviewers and radio stations since her 2017 debut, “Seize the Day” (featuring Phoebe Bridgers) is a good intro into her soft vocal style and guitar work, if you’re not familiar.

“Women and Wives” (St. Vincent remix) and “When Winter Comes” (Anderson .Paak remix) similarly take a minimalist approach, though they still leave their mark. St. Vincent, a Pop artist and guitar enthusiast, adds a tasty guitar solo and powerful, but ghostly background vocals to Sir Paul’s already smoky, Jazzy-cool track.

.Paak, another artist with multiple talents, having worked with artists from Kendrick Lamar to Smokey Robinson, adds subtle yet distinct drum work to “When Winter Comes.” This one is full of countryside imagery, possibly referencing McCartney’s Scottish

countryside cottage abode where he resided in the early ’70s.

Later on, Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) delivers an off-kilter, attitude-laden and guitar-heavy “Lavatory

Lil.” Then, Damon Albarn (Gorillaz) takes the already sparse on lyrics, “Long Tailed Winter Bird” and stretches it out, adding experimental elements, Gorillaz style, infusing everything from Hip-Hop to ambient and electronic.

If you haven’t heard it yet, you need to. It’s definitely worth a listen or 12.