The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang

Apparently, this 2005 CD was the band's last release and while it's not one that I listen to often, it is still a worthy successor to their previous greatness.

The opening "Rough Justice" is kind of a monster - huge, heavy guitars, cool slide work, and a stompin' r'n'r groove. "Let Me Down Slow" has a feel like something off of Some Girls, with some nice melodic flourishes. Patented Keith Richards' staccato chords drive "It Won't Take Long", they get a bit funky in "Rain Come Down", do a so-so (but undeniably catchy) soulful power ballad in "Streets of Love", get bluesy in "Back of My Hand" (nice slide'n'harp work), build a r'n'r dance groove for "She Saw Me Coming" and then give another unmemorable ballad in "Biggest Mistake".

Reminiscent of "Angie", there is an acoustic ballad in "This Place is Empty", then they wake up and bring the fire for "Oh No, Not You Again" (a bit of a nod to "Shattered" here), and give us a rocker with nice open spaces in "Dangerous Beauty". There's a slow burner in "Laugh, I Almost Died", they get political (this was the Bush years, remember) in the blues-rocker "Sweet Neo Con", are almost frantically funky in "Look What the Cat Dragged In", produce another stomper in "Driving Too Fast" before ending the proceedings with Keith's "Infamy" (a play on "in for me", as in "you got it in for me").

Certainly not one of their best, but also certainly better than many of their later releases. Some real bits of coolness and definitely worth hearing, in any case.