With all that said, 2005 saw Mick and Keith etc. release one of their more acclaimed albums in years. But, after all the hype, is A Bigger Bang a bust, at least from an Americana perspective? Let’s take it track by track: 1) Rough Justice: An in-your-face opener that let’s you know from the start that the Stones still got it—the licks, the hooks, the attitude, the energy. A torrid rock ‘n blues rave up. Yessss! 2) Let Me Down Slow: The energy steps back a bit on this mid-tempo kick-ass almost-country number. Mick and Keith harmonize, and Ronnie Wood plays slide, like he did in the opener. 3) It Won’t Take Long: A standard rock number that’s probably more propelled by the Stones’ performance than the songwriting. Not their strongest. 4) Rain Fall Down: A funky, ominous thing with a prominent decadent disco-like rhythm guitar in the forefront. A track I could see blasting on the dance floor at Studio 54 in the bad old days. Mick plays guitar, keyboards and vibes, according to the liner notes. 5) Streets of Love: A catchy ballad you may have heard on the radio. Why not? It’s radio friendly. A sensitive Mick song, sort of like Waiting on a Friend. 6) Back of My Hand: A straight blues track, with only Mick, Keith and Charlie playing. Sounds like a homage to the great Muddy Waters. No better acolytes than these three guys. 7) She Saw Me Coming: A catchy, but not particularly memorable mid-tempo rocker. A filler to these furry ears. 8) Biggest Mistake: The Stones go country. Anybody wanna cover this one? Steel guitar could work, though the Stones don’t use one. 9) This Place is Empty: Keith steps to the mike, and plays guitar, piano and bass. A mid-tempo ballad that the Soul-of-the-Stones rasps his way through. Nothing special, other than the fact that Keith is alive to sing it. 10) Oh No Not You Again: After Keith’s ballad, apparently they felt the need to recapture the energy of Rough Justice. They don’t succeed, but it’s a lively rave-up anyway. They could have dropped this one. 11) Dangerous Beauty: A song that would totally tank, if it weren’t for the Stones giving it their loose-as-a-goose guitar sound. Any song with that treatment is going to sound okay. 12) Laugh, I Nearly Died: An impassioned vocal from Mick and tasty guitar work from Mick and Keith nearly save this. Nearly. 13) Sweet Neo Con: I was prepared to hate this one, because I don’t care what the Stones think about Dick Cheney, who this song seems to be about. The track re-energizes the album. Particularly liked Mick’s bluesy harmonica. 14) Looked What the Cat Dragged In: A slashing funky guitar number. Worth waiting for. 15) Driving Too Fast: A nothing-special rocker. Forgettable. 16) Infamy: Keith back up front to close the album. The song is in a good key for Keith, giving his voice a clearer sound. Mick stands out with his harmonica playing. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t go anywhere. Oh well, nice to hear Keith sounding healthy. 3 ½ bottle caps out of 4. Sharper songwriting would have taken it up a notch.