Rolling Stones - "A Bigger Bang"

No other group in history has consistently delivered a unique brand of music for so long

When a band releases a new album, involuntary reflex makes us immediately compare the new album with all of their others. A discography of nearly 40 studio and live albums makes this logistically daunting, and it would be unfair to a group that has not only survived but thrived for over 45 years.

This is one of their longest albums, but there’s nothing here that’s just filling time. The venerable group can still deliver surprises. Keith Richards tries a new vocal style. Mick Jagger kidney-punches the Bush administration. A couple of tracks border on Easy Listening.

There’s still plenty of the typical raunchy lyrics, basic blues, and stadium-filling sound that has kept Stones fans coming back for longer than many in their current fan base have been alive.

The real life context in which the album was produced seems to have injected renewed energy. Charlie Watts’ successful battle with cancer, Ron Wood’s ex-wife’s suicide, and Mick Jagger’s divorce seem to have released some sort of rejuvenating chemical.

If you insist on comparing it to the rest of their work, you may well consider this the best album the Stones have done in the last half of their existence.

Track List

Rough Justice
Let Me Down Slow
It Won't Take Long
Rain Fall Down
Streets Of Love
Back Of My Hand
She Saw Me Coming
Biggest Mistake
This Place Is Empty
Oh No, Not You Again
Dangerous Beauty
Laugh, I Nearly Died
Sweet Neo Con
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Driving Too Fast
Infamy