Music Review: The Rolling Stones, Blue & Lonesome

Musicians Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones performing onstage. Photo / Getty Images

Blue & Lonesome by the Rolling Stones is the most authentic and blow-you-away blues album I have heard in years.

In their fledgling days the Stones first couple of albums included covers from their blues heroes.

This was before their manager locked Mick and Keith away to come up with original material.

Fifty years on Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie, with a little help from their friends have cast an entirely different soundscape on their affinity for the blues.

While back then they were devotees they didn't have the musical nous to create that authentic dense and dirty sound that sprung up out of Chicago in the early 1950's.

Now though they have that ability in spades and it shows on every track.

Buddy Johnson's Just Your Fool launches the album, followed by Howlin' Wolf's Commit a Crime, the title track thanks to Memphis Slim, West Side Chicago's blues messenger Magic Sam is next with All of you Love.

And so it goes, song after song brilliantly showcasing a genuine blues band in full flight, playing homage to Little Walter Jacobs, Willie Dixon, Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Reed and Otis Rush.

Eric Clapton lends a deft hand on Dixon/Rush's I Can't Quit you baby and Everybody Knows about my Good Thing.

Plus there's tasty blues piano from Chuck Leavell and Matt Clifford, with Darryl Jones his usual rock-steady on bass.

As you would expect the twin guitars of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are outstanding as is a classy performance by drummer Charlie Watts.

But, the perhaps surprising star of Blue & Lonesome is Mick Jagger.

He not only nails the right pitch for the vocals, his harp work is outstanding.

This is not just a damn fine blues album, Blue & Lonesome is, in my view, their best in forty years.

Rating: 5/5 stars