By Steve Newton
The Rolling Stones threw a huge schmooze in the London borough of Hackney, England today, to announce the details of its upcoming album, Hackney Diamonds, scheduled for release on October 2o.
The band also released the debut single from the album, “Angry”, and I gotta admit: the first time I heard it I wasn’t that impressed. I thought it was kinda boring.
I mean, the band itself sounds perfectly fine. For a guy who turned 80 six weeks ago, Mick Jagger can still sing his ass off. Guitarist Keith Richards–who’ll be 80 in December–still brings the slashing riffs and tasty, economical lead solo. And the youngster in the band, 76-year-old Ronnie Wood, keeps things steady in the rhythm-guitar department.
The rhythm section of bassist Darryl Jones and drummer Steve Jordan–who was personally recommended by original drummer Charlie Watts before he passed away in 2021–does its job as well.
The newly-posted video of “Angry” depicts a shapely young blonde woman (Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney) cavorting in the backseat of a luxury red convertible cruising the Hollywood strip while vintage images of the three official Stones members come to life on various billboards. It’s a pretty cool video, but I’ve watched it ten times now and still can’t decide if I like the song–which details a fiery domestic confrontation–or not.
Others have been quick to claim that the song is god’s gift to rock. Music critic Neil McCormick of The Telegraph gives it five stars out of five with the headline “Angry is the Rolling Stones’ best single in 40 years”.
He apparently feels that it’s the best Stones tune since the admittedly wicked “Start Me Up”, the opening track off 1981’s Tattoo You. But there’s been other songs since then that are way better than “Angry”–“Mixed Emotions” and the Richards-sung “Can’t Be Seen” from 1989’s Steel Wheels being just a couple.
At any rate, I would definitely not give “Angry” five stars out of five.
Would you?
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