Critical Acclaim for Foreign Tongues
The Rolling Stones' 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, has been hailed as a “late-career peak in their eighties” by critics. Released on Friday, the album follows 2023’s Hackney Diamonds and features appearances from former Beatles bass player Sir Paul McCartney and The Cure frontman Robert Smith. It also includes a song recorded with Charlie Watts prior to his death.
Four-Star Reviews
The Independent awarded the album four out of five stars, stating the veteran rockers “sounded astonishingly good, not just for their age, but for a band 60 years younger.” The review also noted that the band “have their gaze fixed firmly on the now” and “haven’t mellowed an inch.”
The Guardian also gave Foreign Tongues four out of five stars, calling it a “continuation of the creative renaissance” that began with Hackney Diamonds three years ago. “At their ages it’s remarkable – and paired with Hackney Diamonds, this is comfortably their best material in decades,” the review read.
Rolling Stone magazine awarded four stars as well, praising the band’s “fidelity to the blues, R&B, and early rock & roll remains intact.” The review added, “The album sounds a little overly slick at times, but mostly Foreign Tongues stays faithful to the Stones’ signature sound… an album that lives up to their legacy.”
Mixed but Positive Notes
NME labelled the release a “cool, confident compendium of everything the band – now in their eighties or not far off – have done so far,” awarding it three and a half stars out of five. The publication said the songs “generally sound fresh and refined,” and noted that lead singer Sir Mick Jagger’s voice “shows no signs of weakening … astounding when you consider the prolonged stress on his vocal cords over many thousands of hours singing live.” However, NME pointed out a few “head-scratchers,” including the “tawdry” Amy Winehouse cover You Know I’m No Good and Bruno Mars’ “inaudible cowbell cameo on ravey romp” Never Wanna Lose You, which it said Smith “rescues with his backing vocals and synth chops.” NME also said the album “lacks a true classic Stones joint.”
Other Reviews
The Irish Times, which rated the release four out of five stars, wrote: “At a stage when other artists obsess over legacy and the meaning of it all, they turn away from such weighty themes and do what they’ve always done. They make the blues sound frisky, timeless and wholly immune to the indignities of age.”
ABC also praised the band, saying they “know how to deliver the thrills,” and added: “They’ve long cemented their legacy as rock ‘n’ roll legends, as much as they have a refusal to retire, but even as The Rolling Stones march toward the inevitable, Foreign Tongues is an impressive hour-ish of new music that proves age is but a number.”
Background
Formed in London in 1962, The Rolling Stones have a long history of chart-topping albums and number one singles, including (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It Black, and Start Me Up. They have had 14 UK number one albums and eight number one hits throughout their decades-long career.
