FOOD FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

CABARET VILLE MAGAZINE. P190. CONT'D FROM P189

A Bigger Bang
The Rolling Stones (Virgin Records)

No, Jagger can't chicken-strut forever, and Richards has skimmed death's surface a few times already. They're old, but they're not dead, yet. For 40 plus years, the Rolling Stones have strutted their way across rock 'n' roll's youthful terrain. Now A Bigger Bang, the band's first studio album since 1997's Bridges to Babylon, hammers home the fact that The Rolling Stones still have "it" -- and they're willing to grow. The famously sparring duo of Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards set aside their differences after drummer Charlie Watts developed throat cancer. With producer Don Was at the helm and longtime guitarist Ron Wood in the studio, Jagger and Richards scribed an array of their classically R&B-tinged rock tunes, plus some uncharacteristically confessional songs. Sweet Neo Con, a critical rant for this generally apolitical band, finds Jagger jabbing at President George Bush harder than Green Day: "You call yourself a Christian/ I think that you're a hypocrite/ You say you're a patriot/ I think you're a crock of ..." On Biggest Mistake, the 62-year-old singer showcases a refreshing vulnerability, considering his famed take-no-prisoners sexuality (i.e. 1971's Brown Sugar and 1966's Under My Thumb). Here, Jagger has made "the biggest mistake of my life" by walking out of a relationship because of succumbing to past "rebel" ways. "I acted impatient, acted unkind/ I took her for granted," he sings. Jagger even admits, after realizing his wrongdoing, that he's "becoming a grouch," drinking on the couch and watching TV. This from the man who once crooned "I only get my rocks off while I'm sleeping." Similarly, Laugh, I Nearly Died grooves on Richards's bluesy momentum and Jagger's falsetto pleading and wailing groans -- a lost soul looking for love and wandering the world. Richards also rips open his soft side on This Place Is Empty, a slow piano-sprinkled number sweetly darkened by his deep, underrated drawl. But the Stones wouldn't be the Stones without reminding us of their boot-stomping heyday. Big swivelling riffs in Look What the Cat Dragged In and Driving Too Fast recall the band's penchant for sweaty guitar assaults. Jagger even contributes stellar slide guitar on the simple swagger of Back of My Hand. No, Jagger can't chicken-strut forever, and Richards has skimmed death's surface a few times already. But for now, time is still on the Stones' side. Yes it is. -Reviewer: Solfeg Shou

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