Review

By Tony Cunningham | 17/07/2026

Few bands have earned the right to coast quite like The Rolling Stones, yet Foreign Tongues finds them doing the exact opposite. Rather than relying on nostalgia or legacy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood return with an album that feels surprisingly energised, blending blues, country, soul and rock into one of their strongest collections of songs in decades. Building on the momentum of Hackney Diamonds, the band's second collaboration with Andrew Watt sees the producer once again encouraging the Stones to embrace what they've always done best. The polished production never overwhelms the band's unmistakable chemistry, instead giving plenty of room for Keith Richards' loose guitar work, Ronnie Wood's melodic flourishes and Jagger's remarkably youthful vocal performance to shine. Opener Rough and Twisted immediately sets the tone with a filthy blues groove that sounds effortlessly authentic, while In the Stars captures the classic Stones swagger with a modern edge. Elsewhere, the funk-infused Never Wanna Lose You and the slinky Jealous Lover revisit the band's flirtations with dance music without feeling like self-parody, proving they're still capable of finding fresh life in familiar territory. Lyrically, Foreign Tongues is more politically aware than many might expect. Covered in You, Mr Charm and the beautifully understated Ringing Hollow tackle authoritarianism, wealth and modern America with surprising sharpness, while never sacrificing the wit that has always underpinned Jagger's songwriting. Even when addressing serious themes, there's still plenty of mischief bubbling beneath the surface. Not every moment lands perfectly. The cover of Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good feels slightly unnecessary despite Jagger's spirited performance, and a handful of choruses lean a little too heavily on contemporary production tricks. Still, these are minor blemishes on an album that rarely loses its momentum. Perhaps the record's greatest strength is how naturally it balances the band's history with their present. Keith Richards delivers another wonderfully weathered vocal on Some of Us, while the late Charlie Watts makes a poignant appearance on Hit Me in the Head, providing a reminder that the Stones' legacy continues to evolve rather than simply look backwards. Foreign Tongues won't replace the untouchable classics of the late '60s and early '70s, but it doesn't need to. Instead, it reinforces an astonishing late-career renaissance, proving The Rolling Stones remain far more than a heritage act. Eight decades into life and over sixty years into their career, they're still writing songs with swagger, substance and enough bite to remind everyone why they've survived for so long.