Raucous and heartfelt, disco beats and falsettos, guest musicians, a goodly amount of that all-too-infrequent but always blindingly brilliant Jagger harmonica, recorded in London, another post-humous appearance by Charlie Watts and ending with a Chuck Berry song — Foreign Tongues, the 25th studio album from the Rolling Stones, is a 14-song collection of goodies from a band who has just kept ‘rolling’ along for the past 60-plus years. As with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, we have Andrew Watt producing Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, along with Darryl Jones on bass, Matt Clifford on keyboards, and drummer Steve Jordan. Notable guests include The Cure’s Robert Smith, Steve Winwood, Bruno Mars, and Paul McCartney.
“Rough and Twisted,” fed by slide guitar and Jagger on harmonica, is the lead-off single. Trudging through the rather weak “In the Stars,” things get jumpin’ on “Jealous Lover” with Jagger incorporating his “Emotional Rescue” falsetto on this danceable track. “Ringing Hollow,” is a laid-back country rocker about the US losing its bloom-off-its-rose for Jagger and Richards. It joins tunes like “Undercover Of The Night,” and “Street Fighting Man” on the political front, though it’s slightly a little too obvious in its lyrics to rate among those two previous digs. The Ronnie Wood slide is pretty cool though. It’s one of a few swipes the Glimmer Twins manage in their lyrics here.
“Hit Me In The Head,” is straight-ahead sloppy rocker. It’s no surprise Charlie Watts is on drums on this song, dating back to 2021. In an odd twist, the Stones cover the late Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” with surprising results The requisite Keith Richards delivers on “Some Of Us,” a subtle ballad with a strong chorus. Then Jagger outfits himself on what might be his best singing on “Covered In You.” Again, he plays great harmonica here as well, along with a sly rap and McCartney on bass. Perhaps one of the best songs for me on Foreign Tongues comes via Ronnie Wood’s pen, a mid-tempo tribute to Brian Wilson called “Back In Your Life.” Foreign Tongues sounds a bit looser in presentation than Hackney Diamonds, though not every song is as realized as it was the last time. Still, there are strong contenders here and the whole company are rockin’ like 60-year-olds.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
