While Steel Wheels sounded a bit calculated in that the Rolling Stones were using some sort of cookie-cutter format loosely derived from Tattoo You, Voodoo Lounge initially comes off as a classic effort. It’s as if the Stones are going back to their past and moving away from the stadium rock model of Tattoo You and Steel Wheels, and the seedy blues of opening track “Love Is Strong” seems to indicate this. But make no mistake, it’s just as calculated as Steel Wheels.

Recorded after Mick Jagger’s 1993 solo effort Wandering Spirit, his best solo effort to date, and Keith Richards’ 1992 effort Main Offender, the difference this time is that the Stones sound like they’re not trying hard. so much and they are just having fun with their music. craft. While songs like “Sparks Will Fly” and “You Got Me Rocking” sound like Tattoo You and Steel Wheels material, numbers like “New Faces” sound like the baroque pop of Between The Buttons and Aftermath, released nearly thirty years ago. earlier. “I Go Wild,” on the other hand, has the nihilistic, sexually violent qualities that would have been right at home on Undercover. Keith Richards’ two vocal contributions, “The Worst” and “Thru And Thru,” sound unlike anything that has appeared on a Stones album before Voodoo Lounge, and that’s not to say they’re groundbreaking in any way, just fresh. The same could be said of “Moon Is Up.” “Out Of Tears” is arguably his most revealing ballad, while “Blinded By Rainbows” is both socially conscious and serenely heartfelt. This album is not only calculated, but also suffers from the same flaw that a lot of LPs suffered from in the mid-’90s: it’s too long. Tracks like “Suck On The Jugular,” “Baby Break It Down,” “Brand New Car,” and “Mean Disposition” aren’t bad songs at all (they’re all solid rock songs), but there’s just no reason why the band couldn’t have saved them for a compilation of rarities and b-sides. Although judge for yourself.

Note that this is the band’s first effort without bassist Bill Wyman. Voodoo Lounge and their successful supporting tour helped pave the way for other aging rockers like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to rekindle their careers in the ’50s.