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It isn't the second (or 19th) coming of Their Satanic Majesties. The now-scorned Steel Wheels (1989), which vaulted stylistic barriers, was in fact the riskier bid. But Voodoo Lounge exults in the Stones' reason for being: transcendent, fundamental rock & roll. Keith Richards' solo trips and, particularly, the return to committed singing Jagger demonstrated with his own Wandering Spirit in 1992 factor into this disc's heat. But better, this is the Stones, even with new bassist Darryl Jones, playing as a band. The Richards/Ron... Read More Wood guitar interplay is peerless, Charlie Watts swings easier than any other rock drummer, and the leanly muscled material flexes deep attitude. It's on formula pieces ("You Got Me Rocking," "Brand New Car"), rather than on experiments like "Blinded by Rainbows," that the boys kick fiercest, realizing an essential truth: Rock & roll – like its revered forebears, blues and country – soars higher off blessed authenticity than off original expression. And no band has ever rocked more authentically than these old – and more live than you'll ever be – soldiers. (RS 698/699) PAUL CORIO |
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