The Rolling Stones have released their first single from their new album ‘Hackney Diamonds.’ Their first disc of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. ‘Don’t get angry with me’ – here is a review.

Primarily – The Stones have lost their ‘swing’. That is not a bad thing. It’s a new thing.

Charlie Watts was the most unique drummer in Rock n Roll history. The only ‘Jazz’ drummer to drive a Rock / Blues band to unimaginable speeds. Watts’ uncanny ability to provide Richards’ rhythm and Jagger’s hip shakes is gone.

When Brian Jones was replaced by Mick Taylor in the late sixties – The Stones lost their sound. It was forgotten quickly as Taylor brought the band into different territory. An area which sustained The Stones atop the heap with a lead and rhythm guitar philosophy.

Taylor then abruptly quit the band in the early seventies and Ron Wood entered stage left. Once more The Stones ‘lost their sound’ as Wood and Richards went about perfecting their ‘ancient art of weaving’. Two guitars as one. Two slaps in the face which made anyone guess who hit them and how. Lead and rhythm – undefined yet crisp.

Fast forward to 1994 and original bassist Bill Wyman decided enough was enough. Once more, The Stones ‘lost their sound.’ Darryl Jones entered the fray on bass and suddenly – Charlie Watts had a Jazz ‘buddy.’ Jones’ pedigree consisted of his career starting alongside Miles Davis. The albums Voodoo Lounge, Bridges to Babylon and A Bigger Bang saw The Stones operating once more on different cylinders. The frame was solidified after forty years but the body didn’t require a paint job.

Charlie Watts’ death has introduced (via Watts himself) Steve Jordan on drums and once again – The Stones’ ‘lost their sound’.

The new single ‘Angry’ gives an indication of what The Rolling Stones may sound like heading into their seventh decade as a band. The guitars and Jagger’s vocals have less bounce and are glued to the floor. Gritty and less ‘Pop – oriented’ than some of The Stones’ tunes post 80s and the closest The Stones have sounded to their masterpiece album Exile on Main Street since it’s release in 1972.

Like the title of the song – The Stones sound ‘angry’. Face it – the people of the world are pretty ‘angry’ at many issues right now. Like ‘Satisfaction’, ‘Paint it Black’ and ‘Gimme Shelter’ (to name a few) before – Jagger and Richards have their fingers on the pulses of society. This time, they are being driven on Steve Jordan’s 4 Wheeler.

The engine has changed after sixty – one years but the body doesn’t require a paint job.

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