Blue & Lonesome is the Stones’ first new studio album in over a decade. The album is made up of twelve blues covers that were recorded in just three days last December and once again, long time producer Don Was was back behind the boards to oversee the project.
The story goes, as the Stones were getting ready to record their new studio album, they needed to find a way to familiarize themselves with their surroundings at the Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios. So, to get comfortable, the Stones decided to knock out a blues cover of Little Walter’s Blue and Lonesome, It sounded so good, that the band continued to belt out a few more covers thus resulting in their first ever all blues record.
The album has been heralded as the bands return to their “blues” roots. In all honesty, the Stones have never stopped being a blues band. You can’t play rock n roll or any other form of popular music without the influence of the blues. If you listen to any of their records, new or old, the songs just don’t rock they groove, and that’s the power of the blues. The Stones simply took the blues, and tweaked it into their very own radio friendly format.
What makes Blue & Lonesome such a great listen? Well, if you take away all the lights and explosions of their live shows, the internal squabbles we hear on the news and the glitz and glamour behind all of that, there remains, a solid band. The album is a reminder of how well the Stones play together as a group, blending experience, instinct and skill into a set of songs that display their commitment to the music and what set them on their journey in the first place.
The other thing that makes this album such a great listen, is that the Stones are not trying to make a hit single or chase a musical trend. They seem to be having fun playing some blues covers, and that comes through in spades on this release. In my opinion, that great sense of fun and interplay between the members is what will make this Blue & Lonesome album more satisfying and valuable to the fans for years to come. Now, if that doesn’t persuade you to give Blue & Lonesome a try, how about this? Eric “Slowhand” Clapton makes an appearance on two tracks, awesome!
You can call Blue & Lonesome a return to their roots, heck, call it whatever you want, but I ‘m calling it another great Stones' record. Period!
