In the mid to late 60s rock n’ roll was on the rise among the likes of British bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and American bands such as Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. As time has progressed, the impact of these bands is nothing short of amazing and the music they created is considered classics today and serves as an insight into the art of the 60s and 70s.
Through the decades, The Rolling Stones were viewed as a pivotal band in the creation and popularity of rock n’ roll. Their first breakthrough song was “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” on their studio album Out of Our Heads, following this, they had a huge hit “Paint it Black” on their 1966 hit album Aftermath. As the years continued, they continued to roll out song after song, and album after album, continuously giving out records to last a lifetime.
As they aged each year, the quantity of original music releases slowed down, following their 1989 album Steel Wheels they wouldn’t release again until 1994 with Voodoo Lounge, then after this it wouldn’t be until 1997 that they released again with Bridges to Babylon.
Despite the increased length of years between releases, their biggest halt would come following their release of 1997 Bridges to Babylon with no other release until 2005’s A Bigger Bang. After the release of A Bigger Bang, many assumed the retirement and end of new music for the Stones but, as the 21st century went on, they would perform at the Superbowl, do an abundance of live shows, and release a blues cover album. Then, this year, 2023 their new original studio album which would mark their 31st album, Hackney Diamonds was announced.
Two years prior, on August 24, 2021, the band’s drummer Charlie Watts passed away right before their US 2021 tour commenced. Additionally, the entire band was into their 80s, leaving hopes of an album extremely faint and unlikely. But, despite all odds against them, the Stones delivered a top-quality album at such an old age.
The album opened up with the lead single “Angry” which was released September 6, 2023, then, was followed by “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” on September 28 featuring vocals from Lady Gaga and keys from Stevie Wonder.
On Friday, October 20th, 2023, the full project made its release, with two songs featuring Elton John, one featuring Paul McCartney, and one featuring Lady Gage and Stevie Wonder. In addition, late great drummer Charlie Watts, has his drums featured on both “Mess it Up” and “Live by the Sword.” Lastly, original bassist, Bill Wyman is featured playing the bass on “Live by the Sword.”
Overall, the album has the Stones taking on a new look at rock n’ roll, while still keeping their old qualities and traits in the vision of the album. Through the album, the new production flow of rock is apparent in the album, and the same old folk blues feeling of their earlier projects is buried into the new production style. However, it is still there and the album is still true to the Stones identity. The album opens up with the lead single “Angry” which is a very groovy and pop-rock style song. Following that, is the song “Get Close,” featuring legendary artist Elton John on the keys, and “Depending on You.” While all the songs on the album are co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, these first three songs are additionally written with the help of new drummer Andrew Watt.
After the first three songs, the fourth track is “Bite My Head Off,” which features Beatles guitarist Paul McCartney, the song is a very heavy rock n’ roll song with a great McCartney guitar solo to finish off the song.
Following is the fifth song “Whole Wide World,” which has a very catchy guitar rift throughout the song, and an inspiring chorus with lyrics about taking on the world and being strong against whatever is in your way.
Next up on Hackney Diamonds is “Dreamy Skies”, which features a very groovy and dreamy guitar along with Keith Richards background vocals, while the majority of the album is more heavy and “catchy-style” songs, this song has a different vibe with a beautiful and slow feel to it.
“Mess it Up”, the seventh track, talks of a relationship and Jagger singing of “messing everything up” for a girl. The song is unpredictable and full of a lot of diverse sounds and overall high quality. Jagger shows off his ability to still sing in his eighties on this song.
Following “Mess It Up” is “Live By The Sword” featuring Elton John. This song is one of the heaviest on the album and has some of the most diverse sequences on the album. It is a very aggressive yet flowing rock n’ roll song. The song, in addition to “Get Close” features Elton John on the keys. Along with this, it features long-time Stones bass player Bill Wyman for the first time in over thirty years, as well as late drummer Charlie Watts.
The ninth song on the album is “Driving Me Too Hard” which is a groovy song and builds perfectly into the flow of the album. With a smooth chorus, it shows off the classic “Stones” sound.
After “Driving Me Too Hard” is “Tell Me Straight” which, unlike the rest of the album, has Keith Richards singing. It is a very different vibe to the rest of the album, Richards is known for singing an abundance of great songs for the “Stones” second to Jagger, with every “Stones” album, the anticipation is great, and many times people forget about Ricahrds from a singing perspective, however, every time he does sing, it is a great product.
Following this is the second single to the album “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.” This song is a standout and in comparison to the rest of the album, it is an anomaly. Despite the quality of the album, this record is on a whole other level, with a building throughout the whole song keys from Stevie Wonder, and vocals from Lady Gaga, the record is like no other and nothing short of amazing.
Ending off the album is “Rolling Stones Blues” which is a song similar to something off of the “Stones” legendary 1972 album “Exile on Main Street.” The song is very bluesy and a great song to end off the album on a classic “Rolling Stones” note.
