Blue & Lonesome

THE ROLLING STONES

Polydor

The Stones’ first all-covers album, and why not — if there’s anyone who’s earned the “right” to play these blues oldies it’s Keith Richards. And while “A Bigger Bang” didn’t suck, I’m not exactly hungering for more Stones originals. To appreciate “Blue & Lonesome,” you have to appreciate them for who they are, which luckily I do. Admittedly, I’ve never been high on the Ronnie Wood era, though I will say the interplay between the two guitarists here is pleasing. Mick sounds good, and he doesn’t play up his indifference as he’s been wont to do when he’s not so into the art. I guess he’s being respectful.

However, to really fall in love with “Blue & Lonesome,” you can’t just be into the way the Stones play. You have to enjoy the particular brand that comes with their covers. Me, I like those once-per-album context clues — “You Gotta Move,” “Prodigal Son,” “Love in Vain.” When you hear too many of them in a row, however, you start to notice a certain veneer — garage rock played by young lads far too proficient with their instruments. And since that’s Ronnie’s department, I’ll have to ding him on that account. But try firing up “Black and Blue” (another genre exercise I once thought was the Stones’ first boring album) and suddenly Mick won’t sound so good either. 

Black America Again

COMMON

ARTium/Def Jam

I like Common. I think he’s intelligent and well-intentioned, plus I watched him in “Hell on Wheels” and found him eminently charismatic. In an informative video from Common himself, he explains the lyrics of “Black America Again” as a “call to arms.” I find this description at odds with Common’s ungainly (if charming) flow and the unrefined (if inspired) quality of his prose. Two of the more lyrical songs, “Home” and “Pyramids,” make use of regional (if not entirely Abrahamic) parables in outlining Common’s vision of a new black America. But you’ll notice he’s more of a generalist, and while I’d hate to begrudge him for being well-read, without a true frame of reference I hardly know where to look for answers.

If you’re not sure what I mean, know that this album was released three days before the election. Common’s politics are fairly clear, and while his vision didn’t come true, his broader tendencies work in his favor. That is to say, his vision could still come true, and I hope it does. In the meantime, there’s “The Day Women Took Over,” an absorbing marriage between flute and synthesizer, and the surprising “Rain,” which favorably recalls “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” And even on “Love Star” and “Red Wine,” where the syrupy romance predictably escapes me, I find myself coming back for Common’s flow and prose, especially when he quotes “Black Caesar.”

Travis Johnson lives in New London. He has a music blog that can be found at theoldnoise.blogspot.com. Follow him @ThisOldNoise or contact him at thisoldnoise@gmail.com.