Richards’ and Wood’s guitars bob and weave as always, and Jordan complements them with a subtle yet powerful swing. The result is a loud, visceral set of songs that makes the band sound half … no, a third … its collective age. Watt shared the band’s sudden sense of urgency, ensuring that Hackney Diamonds was finished in just a few months. The Grammy-winning producer has helmed albums from Ozzy Osbourne to Miley Cyrus to Justin Bieber, and he’s a serious Stones fan.
They were looking for fresh blood and fresh ears.Įnter Andrew Watt. When they reconvened to finish the new material, they decided not to continue with longtime producer Don Was. Upon the suggestion of Watts years before, they added longtime X-Pensive Winos drummer Steve Jordan (who has an impressively lengthy resume himself) and continued their scheduled world tour. It was a crushing blow, but if the Stones have proven anything, it’s that they’re resilient. Still, they felt no rush to complete the new original material.Ĭut to August of 2021 when the band lost their heartbeat with the passing of Charlie Watts. That hastily conceived project indeed seemed to light a creative spark in Jagger and Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones (photo by Mark Seliger)īlue and Lonesome, 2016’s all-blues covers album, acted as a palette cleanser for the Stones as they were in the middle of working on new material to follow A Bigger Bang.
