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Written by Kanye West, Paul McCartney, and Kirby Lauryen

Produced by Kanye West, Paul McCartney, and Mike Dean

Released January 2015 by Roc-a-Fella

Pros

• Touching, emotionally vulnerable song
• Pleasing jazzy keyboard solo to close
• Solid collaborative effort

Cons

• Lacks any strong flash or peak moments

Pushing aside the Twitter-fueled furor about Kanye West’s who may not know who Paul McCartney is, this unlikely musical pair have brought us all “Only One,” a charming New Year gift.

The song speaks from the point of view of Kanye West’s late mother Donda, presumably in heaven, providing encouragement and congratulations on the birth of his daughter North and marriage to Kim Kardashian. She says, "I know you're happy 'cause I can see it. So tell the voice inside your head to believe it." Kanye West's vocals are accompanied by a jazz-inflected keyboard solo courtesy living legend Sir Paul McCartney and the occasional vocal harmony.

This is the type of intimate little song Paul McCartney has produced frequently since his debut solo single “Another Day.” Often, these little ditties have brought consternation from music critics who expect something much more grandiose from the tremendously gifted artist. However, there is a true charm exuded when an artist of this calibre comes back down to earth to share simple emotion.

This is a shift in direction for Kanye West after the intense and fiery Yeezus album. He is singing here with the occasional auto-tune in a style reminiscent of the top 10 hit “Heartless” from the album 808s and Heartbreak.

The ego is still apparent, but Kanye West sounds very human and even a bit fragile here. The unexpected early death of his mother at age 58 clearly hit the artist hard, and the grief sounds as if it remains just barely below the surface seven years later. However, in the song she provides comforting comments such as, "No you're not perfect, but you're not your mistakes."

Lyrically, Kanye West sets the scene of the song in beautiful fashion singing, “As I lay me down to sleep, I hear her speak to me, ‘Hello Mari... (a nickname from his middle name Omari).” Clearly Donda West is missed, but “Only One” helps ensure that millions around the world will not forget her. The song also plays out as a gift to Kanye West’s child and the repeated, “Tell Nori about me,” which closes the song’s vocals, is the emotional peak here.

“Only One” is clearly influenced by the work of Stevie Wonder from the jazzy organ sound to Kanye West’s vocal style. It is not a surprise as Stevie Wonder’s music continues to loom large over contemporary R&B, and he is a past collaborator with Paul McCartney, notably on the #1 smash hit “Ebony and Ivory.”

Are you likely to hear this wistful, charming ballad on mainstream pop radio? That is difficult to say. It has been 25 years since Paul McCartney had a radio hit, but Kanye West’s last major solo pop hit was the auto-tune ballad “Heartless.” The song deserves to be heard. Major pop artists giving us such a spare, unadorned peek into their personal life are worth our attention, and a cross generation collaboration between a 37-year old artist and a 72-year old artist is a rare occurrence. Just ask Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Reportedly, this is the first of at least two joint creations between Kanye West and Paul McCartney, and Kanye West is at work on his next solo album.  It is a solid way to whet our appetites for what is to come.