Album Review: The Rolling Stones - Blue and Lonesome
How extraordinary that The Rolling Stones have only now, deep in their twilight, got around to offering proper homage to their heroes. Not only is Blue and Lonesome the group’s first dedicated covers collection — it is also the most forthright love letter they have yet penned to the Delta blues players who shaped their musical outlook as bright-eyed young men seeking escape from the provincial drudgery of post-war Britain. The story behind this extraordinary comeback is straightforward: Last year, Mick, Keith and the rest convened at Mark Knopfler’s London studio complex with the intention of recording a collection of original material. In order to conjure the requisite mood, the band “warmed up” with some old blues favourites. The performances were so stirring that they kept going and the results will be a revelation to anyone under the impression that Stones’ zenith as recording artists is long behind them.
