I have to admit I was a bit skeptic about the new album by the legendary The Rolling Stones. The news that their newest effort will be comprised of covers of blues classics signalized that Stones are just another representatives of the old school who mask lack of inspiration behind the covers of standards.
The fuel of my doubt was the fact that the blues material the band has chosen to cover has been used so many time before that it was hard to believe there was anything new to sing. Of course, The Rolling Stones may have more right to do so than the average bar band, because they are the pioneers of British invasion who introduced the blues to the general public. Meanwhile, the blues has become hackneyed by the cover bands.
The first song Just Your Fool sounds exactly as a typical interpretation by a local band who plays every weekend in a smoky bar in the dirty downtown area. Luckily, the twist comes with Commit A Crime in which the band manages to recreate brutal feeling of Howlin Wolf’s original by adding a spicy flavor. It is followed by a less known song of Little Walter that turned out to be a touchdown.
Blue and Lonesome shows a wild guitar while Jagger delivers a magnificent performance, proving that blues can still sound raw and fresh. The title of the song was chosen as the title of the album, and there is a little story behind this decision. When Stones initiated the recording of their new material and struggled with inspiration, they have decided to chill and play Blue and Lonesome. The producer Don Was had an epiphany, suggesting that the band should make a whole blues cover album. At the end, the album was recorded in only three days during the sessions that took place one year ago. Jagger said that the band had never recorded such a straightforward album.
Jagger brings his A game on this record. His powerhouse interpretations and British accent make the blues standards sound like they were meant to be sung by a white man. Blues was the band’s first love, so it was expected that they will return to it at the last period of their career. With this album, they gave everyone a lesson and showed that there are still many reasons to love them
