11 October 2023
As already announced, eternal iconic rock stars THE ROLLING STONES canned
a new longplayer, and baptized it HACKNEY DIAMONDS. It’s their 24th British and
26th American album. It lands on 20 October. Their first proper LP in 13 years, since
the release of A Bigger Bang.
Ahead of it, the 3 Stones shared
two stellar tasters (so far).
– ANGRY –
A classic Keef-riff rocker,
with classic Jagger vocals
and a classic Stones chorus.
– SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN –
An instant blues-rock-ballad classic with impassioned Jagger vocals and
sky-scraping gospel delirium caused by Lady Gaga‘s fantastic vocality.
Legendary American magazine (print/website) Rolling Stone put
their review of the LP online yesterday.
It reads as follows (shortened by TUTV).
“A collection of bangers, old-school division) that nobody in their right mind had a right to expect in 2023, ‘Hackney Diamonds’ isn’t just another new Stones album, but a vibrant and cohesive record — the first Stones album in ages you’ll want to crank more than once before filing away.
“Whether it’s a first-time Stones producer (Andrew Watt), bits of technological wizardry, or simply a desire to remind us why we cared about them in the first place, they haven’t sounded this brisk and focused in what feels like a half century. Keith Richards’ and Ron Wood’s guitars are crisp and uncluttered, with most of the slovenly strumming of the past banished. Depending on the song, Mick Jagger sounds snappish, peeved, needy, or insouciant, with lyrics and a more pronounced British accent to match: In the sputtery single “Angry,” he spits out, “It hasn’t rained in a month, the river’s run dry/We haven’t made love, and I wanna know why.” Not exactly rock poetry, true, but he also hasn’t sounded this engaged with the songs since the heyday of the cassette. “Depending on You” could have been one of those draggy ballads that have made their way onto later Stones albums, but Jagger wails as if he wants the whole world to hear him.
When all of those elements come together, a fountain of musical youth miraculously emerges. Toward the end of “Live by the Sword,” one of two tracks they made with drummer Charlie Watts before his passing in 2021, Jagger snarls as the guitars tear it up around him, and you’d hardly think it was the 21st century. With Watt burnishing their sound just enough, songs that could have easily been rote feel revitalized.
Steve Jordan, the longtime X-Pensive Winos member who has taken Watts’ place on the road, plays on the majority of the record. Jordan hits his kit harder than Watts ever did, but his contributions aren’t as jarring as they could have been.
What you won’t find much of here is the late-in-life introspection heard on recent records by some of the Stones’ peers. We’ve arrived at a fascinating period in rock history, when aging boomer rockers aren’t just dragging themselves onstage but continuing to write songs — uncharted territory for them and us. In a first for that generation, we get to hear what‘s on the minds of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, or Judy Collins as they approach or enter their eighties — in songs that confront mortality, look back over tumultuous lives or recent history, and occasionally rant about the state of the planet or politics.
