Rolling Stones' Foreign Tongues: Best Material in Decades
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- Rolling Stones released Foreign Tongues, their 25th album, continuing the renaissance that began with 2023's Hackney Diamonds — their first album of original songs in 18 years.
- Andrew Watt produced Foreign Tongues, his second consecutive Stones album, capturing the band's joy of playing together while "kicking their asses when needed" per guitarist Keith Richards.
- Charlie Watts, who died five years ago, contributes posthumously via drums recorded in 2021 for the fatalistic rocker "Hit Me in the Head."
- Mick Jagger, at 82, delivers pointed political lyrics — "Mr Charm" rails against "mad mogul Mr Musk" while "Covered in You" denounces "autocrats breeding like a swarm of dirty rats with their missiles on parade."
- Bruno Mars plays cowbell, with Steve Winwood on organ, Paul McCartney, the Cure's Robert Smith, and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith also featured; the album covers Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good."
- Foreign Tongues is rated the Stones' best material in decades alongside Hackney Diamonds — though below the late-60s/70s run that included Beggars Banquet and Some Girls.
Why it matters: At 82, Mick Jagger sounds more energized than he has in years per the reviewer, and Foreign Tongues is rated the Stones' best material in decades alongside 2023's Hackney Diamonds. For a band that went 18 years without original songs, the political edge — including direct criticism of Musk — signals purposeful late-career output over nostalgia.
