The Rolling Stones’ latest album, Foreign Tongues, has been released, and it’s a mixed bag. More than 60 years on from their formation in 1962, the English icons’ place in the rock ‘n’ roll canon is as secure as any guitar group in history. They can still sell out arenas, their songs are still go-to needle drops for film and television, and frontman Mick Jagger is as much of a cultural archetype at this point as he is a classic rock star. And yet, even fans of the band’s latter era would admit it’s been a handful of decades since the Stones’ last truly essential release.
The new set arrives two and a half years after their last effort, Hackney Diamonds, marking their quickest turnaround in the 21st century by a wide margin. Hackney Diamonds only materialized seven years after its predecessor, Blue & Lonesome, and even then, that record was mainly composed of covers. Effectively, before 2023, there hadn’t been a true-blue new Stones LP since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. So, with their proximity to each other, it’s not surprising that Foreign Tongues comes across like Hackney Diamonds Part Two, both in sound and in construction.
Sound and Construction
The crew is playing their part, embodying the idea of what The Rolling Stones, the classic rock band, is in most folks’ minds. All the while, they’re referencing the same blueprint: hiring Andrew Watt to handle production duties, paying tribute to drummer Charlie Watts by incorporating posthumous performances, nabbing big names to feature on tracks, and throwing A-listers in their music videos.
To be clear, this is far from the worst outcome for the average Stones enjoyer. Hackney Diamonds was widely regarded as a return to proper Stonesian theatrics, receiving a warm welcome as a result, even if it’s unlikely for any of the tracks to make the next single-disc greatest hits compilation. Still, it’s a bunt. In comparison to swinging for the fences, it’s much more likely to get you on base, but there’s no chance for a home run.
Track Highlights
Many such instances occur in the first leg. “Rough and Twisted” is a crunchy electric blues tune with a real hunger, “Jealous Lover” is a groovy piece of schmaltzy disco rock with an intentionally goofy, infectiously fun falsetto vocal performance, and “Divine Intervention” gives Mick Jagger room to snarl while also featuring one of the best choruses of the album, in part thanks to the guitar of The Cure’s Robert Smith. “Ringing Hollow,” meanwhile, is an entertaining tear-in-your-beer country rocker fit for the local watering hole, and closing number “Beautiful Delilah” is a loose, stripped-back, near lo-fi stomper.
When the crew lowers the volume and settles in, though, the cracks start to reveal themselves. By Track 10, the Keith Richards-sung “Some of Us,” the album loses just about all of its momentum. More than just showcasing the band members’ age, the mid-tempo snoozer features little more to grab onto than a C-minus melody and an organ track doing its best to give the instrumentation some gravitas.
Lyrics and Editing
Additionally, without the smokescreen of a strong tone, these cuts bring one of Foreign Tongues’s worst aspects to the forefront: the lyrics. Not that Mick Jagger was ever aspiring to be Bob Dylan or that the appeal of the Stones was their poetic musings, but especially on the less fun tracks, the lyricism ranges from lazy and trope-ridden to awkward to downright distracting.
In a few senses, the album simply needed some tighter editing. While the performances and production are expectedly proficient and expensive-sounding, Mick Jagger could have taken another pass at some of his stanzas, and the band as a whole might have benefited from asking themselves if the record really needed to be 14 songs and over an hour long.
Then again, if you’re The Rolling Stones, what reason do you have to edit yourselves? Why not throw everything halfway decent out there? You know just as well as anyone that your legacy is untouchable, so what’s the harm in giving completionists and die-hards more for the sake of more? As long as you’re enjoying the process, enjoy your victory lap.
The Foreign Tongues tracklist includes:
01. Rough and Twisted
02. In the Stars
03. Jealous Lover
04. Mr Charm
05. Divine Intervention
06. Ringing Hollow
07. Never Wanna Lose You
08. Hit Me in the Head
09. You Know I’m No Good
10. Some of Us
11. Covered in You
12. Side Effects
13. Back in Your Life
14. Beautiful Delilah
In conclusion, Foreign Tongues is a decent addition to The Rolling Stones‘ discography, but it’s not their best work. The album has its moments, but it’s also bloated and could have benefited from tighter editing. Nevertheless, fans of the band will still find plenty to enjoy, and the album is a testament to the band’s enduring legacy and their ability to still produce enjoyable music after all these years.
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