The Rolling Stones are true rock ‘n’ roll survivors. Even in the midst of losing one of their key founding members, drummer extraordinaire, Charlie Watts, in 2021, and with its three principal members (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood) headed toward or going past the ripe old age of 80, the group is in one of its most creative and successful recording phases since the late ’70s and early ’80s.
Beginning in 2016, the group has released three excellent albums, with its newest and maybe its best album in nearly 50 years. Rather than trying to awkwardly adapt to the current flavor of the week in pop music, the group does what they do best on their new album, but with a newfound vigor and just enough studio sheen to make the album more than just a nostalgic trip down classic rock music main street.
Like Paul McCartney, the group has enlisted the help of producer and, in many ways, co-collaborator Andrew Watt. Watt is a guitar rocker at heart, and he clearly knows what makes the Stones tick. He’s not trying to control them or make them sound too modern. He’s letting them be and allowing their unique bluesy sway, even with Charlie Watts gone, to shine through. What this album also highlights, which is sometimes overlooked, is that the Stones know how to write great songs.
Their image, reputation as the world’s greatest rock band, and epic narrative history often overshadow what is, in fact, a truly robust catalog of songs, primarily written by Jagger and Richards, that they can still pull off with aplomb. Of the fourteen tracks, Jagger and Richards are assisted in writing by Watt on two tracks and by Matt Clifford on one. Clifford also wrote one song with Richards. On their previous album, Watt also produced and co-wrote three songs.
It’s clear, but not in-your-face, that the album’s title has a political slant, most evident in the song “In The Stars,” the album’s first single. “Divine Intervention” has a punky New York ’70s vibe that could have been an outtake from the 1978 Some Girls album, and “Never Wanna Lose You” has the funky sheen of their 1980 Some Girls follow-up, Emotional Rescue.
“Ringing Hollow” is another example of how country music has influenced the Stones and how they effectively use that genre as the basis for writing some of their best songs. “Hit Me in the Head” (which includes drumming by Charlie Watts) is a terse rocker with a lyrical sentiment in the vein of The Who’s “My Generation.” The album’s closing track is a Chuck Berry cover (“Beautiful Delilah). It’s instructive that on their last two albums, they close with a Muddy Waters song (“Rolling Stone Blues”) and a Chuck Berry song, respectively.
The other cover here is truly an inspired choice. The group tackles “You Know I’m No Good,” the Amy Winehouse-penned signature track from her iconic 2007 album Back to Black. Listening to Jagger tear through this song makes the album worth the price of admission all by itself. Whoever decided to cover this song here shouldn’t have to buy a round at the pub ever!
The primary rhythm section, as has been the case live for the group for some time, is Daryl Jones on bass and Steve Jordon on drums. Some esteemed guests appear on the album, including Paul McCartney on “Covered in You” and Benmont Tench and Steve Winwood, who supply various keyboards throughout.
The gatefold edition, double-vinyl, which includes die-cut white paper sleeves and yellow sleeves with the lyrics and liner notes, offers the best sound, as there is no groove cramming despite a full 14 tracks. It’s hard to say if this is the group’s swan song. They’ve been written off before, and almost every tour and album from the past 25 years has been thought of as possibly being their last. No matter what, it’s only rock ‘n’ roll, and the Stones seem to like it still.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
