The Rolling Stones-Foreign Tongues

Is it possible that The Rolling Stones have yet another winner, with their 25th studio album, the new Foreign Tongues?

Between rock and disco mixing, Mick Jagger employing a falsetto that is still effective and a goodly amount of harmonica, guest stars like Paul McCartney, Robert Smith and Bruno Mars, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood still supplying that odd weaving of electric guitar magic they have held now for decades, a backing band that consists of stalwarts like bassist Darryl Jones and drummer Steve Jordan, mixing in a couple of cover songs among the 14 here, and even an appearance of the late great Charlie Watts, forgive me for saying so, but the Stones are rolling along nicely into their more mature years,

As with 2023’s fantastic Stones album Hackney Diamonds, Andrew Watt produces here once again as the band takes to London studio and from all accounts, recorded this bunch of songs pretty damn quickly.

Mick Jagger blows a goodly amount of harmonica throughout, especially well against Ronnie Wood’s slide on the opener, “Rough and Twisted. “Jealous Lover” features that Jagger “Emotional Rescue”falsetto and “Hit Me In The Head,” featuring Charlie Watts dating back to 2021, all mixes in with the requisite Keith Richards talk-singing on ballad “Some Of Us,” and even Paul McCartney himself playing  bass on “Covered In You.”

On this one Jagger sounds maybe younger than he ahs in years!

One of the best songs here, coming near the end of the record, is a mid-tempo Ronnie Wood composition tribute to Brian Wilson called “Back In Your Life.” I love when Ronnie gets to slip one in between the usual Glimmer Twins’ output. 

Surely a little bit more rag-taggle than the Stones last brilliant release, Hackney Diamonds, still Foreign Tongues is fun kick-ass stuff from these old rockers.