Voodoo Lounge (1994)
1.Love is Strong
2.You Got Me Rocking
3.Sparks Will Fly
4.The Worst
5.New Faces
6.Moon is Up
7.Out of Time
8.I Go Wild
9.Brand New Car
10.Sweethearts Together
11.Suck on the Jugular
12.Blinded by Rainbows
13.Break it Down
14.Thru and Thru
15.Mean Disposition
 
After the success of the Steel Wheels album and tour, the band kept the
momentum into their next release, which ironically didn't come out until
about four years later. Bill Wyman is now gone, he retired after the
Steel Wheels tour. The band was now a foursome, even though Daryl Jones
handled the Bass guitar for them on pretty much a full time basis
(keeping him a "non-member" probably meant the guys could get a bigger
piece of the pie by splitting the money four ways instead of five).
This album is dynamite in many places. The sad thing is, like many
releases on compact disc, this one tends to have a lot of filler - and
the filler here is quite subpar. This is sad because it takes what
could have been an incredible release and brings it down several
notches. What's more frustrating is that this filler is spread out
throughout the whole album. Had it been more concentrated, it could
have been a little easier to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just as
you start to get into a groove enjoying a couple of good cuts, a turkey
comes along. Using producer extraordinaire Don Was, this album
definitely stretches the boundaries, and at time they almost
sound….well…mature.
The first cut, Love is Strong, is the best thing here. With its
heavy bass groove, you almost have to wonder if they're paying tribute
to Bill Wyman. Or maybe they're telling him they don't need him? Also
in the "excellent" department are the ballads Out of Tears and
Blinded by Rainbows that sound almost political - something these
guys aren't well known for. Keith, as usual is in fine form with his
remorseful The Worst. The only thing bad about this track is
it's less than two and-a-half minutes in length. He also delivers the
oddly chilling Thru and Thru which is bit of surprise because
that song doesn't sound like it should work, but for some reason it
does, and it works well. They keep their sense of humor on Brand New
Car, which is actually a pretty funny song with its double entendres
all about. Baby Break it Down is refreshing, since its sounds a
lot like classic Stones.
At times, though, they experiment a bit too much and it takes them to waters better left uncharted. Moon is Up is almost a throwback to their psychedelic days with a harpsichord running through the whole song. Sweethearts Together is probably the worst song this band has ever recorded with it's bubble gum fifties sound. It even features an accordion. Yes, that's right, an accordion. Other songs also miss the mark a bit. You Got Me Rocking is o.k., but it sounds a bit too much like If You Can't Rock Me from It's Only Rock 'N Roll and Suck on the Jugular, even with its nasty title and lyrics has far much more bark than bite.
The best thing, though, is that they proved that their long awaited reunion of a few years ago was not a one time del. They were here to stay as long as they could, and they continued to be successful. This is just one of those times when less could have definitely been more.
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