Hackney Diamonds is the Rolling Stones’s 26th studio album released in the United States, as well as being the first original album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. The last studio album released by the Rolling Stones was 2016’s Blue & Lonesome which comprises blues covers. Hackney Diamonds refers to an old term describing the broken glass from a store after a robbery in the borough of Hackney in London.
Hackney Diamonds, released October 20th of 2023, followed attempts made by the band starting in 2020 to make a new album. Although because of the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the album was never finished. However, after longtime drummer Charlie Watts’s death in 2021, Keith Richards, long time guitar player for the band, stated that his death “jolted us into thinking we’ve got to make a record.”
Angry – 9/10
Angry, the first single of the album released on September 6th. Starting out the album with a catchy drum beat and great repeating riff, it’s a good opener. A very distinct sound from past albums, it illustrates the unique sound of the album. It has a more pop inspired sound however it certainly still retains the hard rock-blues type of sound that the Stones are known for. Right off the bat it’s clear that for being eighty years old, Mick Jagger is still a brilliant singer and has great energy in the song. Angry is a great opener to the album.
Get Close – 8/10
The second track of the album Get Close is more low-key than Angry. Great singing by Jagger on this one as well. A love song describing one’s want to always be with their lover, it has some clever lyrics such as
“I walk the city at midnight with the past strapped to my back, lately I can’t get no sleep, I’m a real insomniac.”
James King has a great saxophone solo about halfway through the song as well, reminding me a bit of solos they’ve had in the past, like on the song Miss You from Some Girls.
Depending on You – 7.5/10
Depending on You, the third track of the album, is a slower song describing the pain of being left by your lover, seeing them move onto others. This song reminds me of the track Stealing My Heart off of the compilation album Forty Licks. The organ and piano in particular towards the end of the song are great, adding to the melancholy theme of the song. A good listen, much more chill of a tune before leading into the exciting and fast-paced Bite My Head Off.
Bite My Head Off – 10/10
Immediately, Bite My Head Off comes out loud and strong with its great recurring riff throughout. This song is a very hard rock song like the Stones are known for. Throughout the entire track, Jagger’s singing, along with the infectious guitar riff, drives the song and keeps the energy high.
Featuring Paul McCartney on bass, his solo is great, repeating the captivating riff. One bit I really like about this track is that you can hear Jagger yell, “Come on Paul! Let’s hear some bass!” during his solo. Featuring a Beatle on your album would always be a huge deal, however I think it makes it even better featuring McCartney on such a catchy and memorable tune.
This is personally my favorite song of the album, and I think it would have been successful as a single as well, however I don’t disagree with the songs they chose either.
Whole Wide World – 8/10
Whole Wide World is another more melancholy tune on the album. It reminds me of Sticky Fingers’s Moonlight Mile due to it describing a more personal view for the members of the band. Lines like “The filthy flat in Fulham, the smell of sex and gas, I never ever really knew where I was sleeping next” and “The cameras that are watching you, they see a sullen face” describe the less glamorous side of being a rock star.
On the musical side, this song has two great guitar solos I definitely recommend listening to. It has a driving tempo like Bite My Head Off, although not as aggressive as that song. Solid listen as well.
Dreamy Skies – 9/10
The sixth track on the album, Dreamy Skies, is a very relaxed country tune. It reminds me a lot of the album Some Girls, particularly Far Away Eyes. It has a theme of longing to get away from the busyness of city life for the peace of the country, which is a theme reflected in lots of country music. This theme is illustrated great by the lines: “And I got to break away from it all, from the city and the suburbs and sprawl, and the small-town chatter and the know it alls, to a place where no one can call.” This is another of my favorite songs on the album, a beautiful depiction of the desire to get some rest out in the countryside.
Mess it Up – 7.5/10
Another song in the same vein as Depending on You, I particularly like the chorus of this track. This is the first of the two songs that feature the late Charlie Watts on drums. This is another solid song on the album. Jagger’s singing on this one is especially good on this one as well. He hits a great falsetto in this one. I enjoy the second half a lot as well, as the chorus repeats it goes into a full groove that I really liked.
Live By The Sword – 8/10
The eighth song of the album, Live By The Sword, has two guest features on it. Elton John on Piano, and former Rolling Stones bassists Bill Wyman. This is also the second song to feature Charlie Watts on drums.
This is another great track on Hackney Diamonds, the hard rock-blues is really clear in here. Elton John’s piano adds a lot to the background of the song. It has a great guitar solo as well, with the whole song being a fun listen. I wish that Elton John had at least a piano solo or something along what McCartney had, but overall this is an excellent track on the album.
Driving Me Too Hard – 7.5/10
I don’t have too much to say about the ninth song, Driving Me Too Hard. It’s a solid tune, I can’t really say much bad about it. I like the organ used in the song because it creates a catchy chorus. Another good track in a great album.
Tell Me Straight – 8/10
The tenth song Tell Me Straight changes things up a bit with Keith Richards singing lead vocals. It’s a much more somber and slow paced song ditching the fast rock for a more reflective tone. Richards’s more restrained voice on this song reminds me of Forty Licks’s Losing My Touch as well. This is a great song that provides some contrast to the fast paced music on the rest of the album.
Sweet Sounds of Heaven – 9/10
Sweet Sounds of Heaven is a great gospel/soul song on the album. It is the second single that the Stones released from this album, with great reason. Featuring Stevie Wonder on piano, and Lady Gaga on vocals, it’s an emotional ballad that proves the Stones still have the depth of songwriting that makes them so unique. Along with fun and rocking songs like Angry or Bite My Head Off, they also have more introspective songs like Sweet Sounds.
Lady Gaga’s singing on this track gives a great contrast to Jagger’s, providing extra variety to the tune.
It has a sort of break in which you can really hear Stevie Wonder’s jazz inspired playing of piano. Jagger and Gaga both hit some great “OH-YEAH!”s towards the end as well.
I also really love the horns on this song, with James King on saxophone and Ron Black on trumpet. I love whenever rock bands use horns; it gives them much more depth and unique sounds. A great song I definitely recommend anyone to listen to, if not the entire album.
Rolling Stone Blues – 7/10
The last track of the album, Rolling Stone Blues, is a cover of the blues song Rollin’ Stone recorded by blues singer Muddy Waters all the way back in 1950. This is the song that the Rolling Stones had originally gotten the name for their band from. The song itself is very old school blues with a great harmonica riff. I enjoy the track, although maybe it’s a little too bluesy for me, I’m more of a rock guy personally. However, I can’t help but look deeper into including this song on Hackney Diamonds. It is especially interesting that they did not include this song on their blues cover album Blue & Lonesome, where it would have made perfect sense there.
My theory is that as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards look into the future of themselves and the band, they realize it can’t go on forever, illustrated by the passing of their friend and bandmate, Charlie Watts. These guys are really old to be doing what they’re still doing, and I think they realize it. I believe they recorded this cover to pay homage to where they came from, originally doing blues covers. The significance of this important song to the band on this album is great: this could likely be the last original Rolling Stones album, and perhaps this way of ending the album is their way of saying goodbye to the band. Of course, they have not spoken about this, but one can infer.
This album is great, and the fact that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood can still make such a great piece of music (all around the age of eighty as well), is very impressive. This album proves that the Rolling Stones are still keeping up with its reputation of “The Greatest Rock Band in the World.”
Hackney Diamonds is further evidence that “a Rolling Stone gathers no moss.”
