Foreing Tongues: The Rolling Stones album is a surprise

Foreign Tonguesthe new Rolling Stones album, is a concentrate of pleasure.Getty Images North America

At over 80, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards seem to have found a second creative youth. Only three years later Hackney Diamondsthe Rolling Stones return with Foreign Tonguesan album driven by the pleasure of playing, the reconciliation of its two emblematic figures and a surprising artistic urgency.

Stefan Künzli / ch media

They did it again. Barely three years later Hackney Diamondsthe Rolling Stones are already coming back with Foreign Tongues. The real surprise, however, is not the album itself, but the speed at which it was made. For Hackney Diamonds (2023), fans had to wait 18 years. The Stones are clearly going through a period of exceptional creativity, at an advanced stage in their career.

Stylistically, Foreign Tongues s’inscrit dans la continuité du très acclamé Hackney Diamondswhich already offered a wide range of songs influenced by rock, blues, country and punk. In reality, only about three titles can be considered as true typically Stonesian pieces. These pieces also bring few new elements to the catalog of the oldest rock’n’roll group still in activity.

“A question of pleasure”

Pleasure, on the other hand, is omnipresent. The enthusiasm that reigned in the Metropolis studios in London is felt from the opening track, Rough And Twisted. This energetic and classic blues gradually transforms into an unbridled collective explosion during its finale. “For me, it’s all about fun,” confirms guitarist Keith Richards.

It is perhaps also for pleasure that the Stones took up You Know I’m No Good by Amy Winehouse. They impose their signature sound of rough guitars on the song, but the 2006 original remains unrivaled.

The festive atmosphere that reigned in the London studio was probably also fueled by the presence of prestigious guests such as Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, Robert Smith (The Cure) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers). Their mark on the album, however, remains discreet, just like the short contribution of Charlie Watts, which we hear during one of his last recording sessions before his death in 2021.

The real interest of the album, however, lies in the songs where the Stones leave their comfort zone and venture off the beaten track. This is the case of Jealous Loveran airy soul track that blows like a fresh breeze in the heart of summer. Mick Jagger even finds his falsetto register there, as at the time of his disco period on Emotional Rescue (1980). Or even Never Wanna Lose Youwhere Darryl Jones’ disco bass lines collide with Keith Richards’ signature rough guitar riffs.

The jewel of the disc is undoubtedly Back In Your Lifea magnificent ballad lasting more than six minutes enriched with brass and carried by a long guitar solo by Ron Wood.

Effective pop choruses that are easy to follow

The Stones’ effort to write catchy and unifying choruses is perceptible at every moment. This objective is particularly successful on the melancholic country song Ringing Hollowon the single already revealed In the Stars as well as on Side Effectswhere the group affords itself the luxury of a double chorus.

The renewal of creativity of the Rolling Stones seems above all to be explained by the reconciliation of their two dominant figures, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, after years of barbs and rivalries. The success of Hackney Diamonds seems to have given them back a taste for writing.

The group’s main driving force, Mick Jagger, who will celebrate his 83rd birthday on July 26, seems determined to fully exploit the creative time he has left. The rhythm that the Stones maintain at such an advanced age is probably linked to a more acute awareness of the passage of time. Their work is marked by a remarkable urgency, as if they refused to let even the slightest moment be wasted.

For fans, this is great news. Everything suggests that Foreign Tongues will not constitute the last chapter in the group’s history. Several unreleased songs are still sleeping in the Stones archives.

The album will be released on July 10.image: the rolling stones

The outlook is less encouraging for Swiss fans who still hope to see the Stones on stage. A concert planned for 2022 at the Wankdorf stadium in Bern had to be canceled after Mick Jagger contracted Covid-19, and no major tour linked to the new album is currently planned.

Keith Richards could be the reason. Although he appears remarkably in good shape for his 82 years, the arthritis from which he has suffered for several years increasingly limits the mobility of his hands. In this context, Foreign Tongues is a consolation prize for all those who still hope to attend a new Rolling Stones concert in Switzerland.

(The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues (Universal). Release July 10.)

(translated and adapted by mbr)

Images of Absinthe en Fête, in Val-de-Travers

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Images of Absinthe en Fête, in Val-de-Travers

Absinthe en Fête has taken place every year in June since 1998.