A Review of The Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds”

I’m far from a fanatical Rolling Stones’ fan. I like them, but really only listen to them occasionally. While I recognize that the studio releases from Aftermath to It ‘s Only Rock and Roll are a significant string of releases and showcase a band working at the heights of its creative powers, I rarely listen to their catalog after that period.

So it was with a bit of trepidation that I queued up Hackney Diamonds and gave it a listen. I wasn’t expecting much.

There’s something that happens to artists when they don’t have anything more to prove, especially rock and roll bands. When a band doesn’t have any more to prove or isn’t hungry, I find that the music is just missing something unless they make a pivot of some sort. It’s that pivot that can help or hurt (most often hurt) an artist’s legacy.

Sometimes artists can navigate the pivot and explore new territory (see David Bowie’s really great pivot with Let’s Dance). But sometimes the pivot can really turn me off (see Paul McCartney’s pivot with Tug of War). While they may still acheive commercial success I don’t necessarily feel like I’m onto something when I listen to them.

Granted I’m not “discovering” these artists cause David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones are all hugely successful, brands you might say. But when I…