Album Review – The Rolling Stones, Bridges to Babylon (1997)
November 17, 2010 | 
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As calculated and lengthy as it might have been, Voodoo Lounge was a classicist effort by the Rolling Stones as it was an attempt (a successful one) by the band to recapture their past. Bridges To Babylon on the other hand is an attempt by the band (namely Mick Jagger) to sound more modern, at least what was considered to be modern in the late 1990s.
The opening track “Flip The Switch” might sound like a typical solid rocker but the following track and leadoff single, “Anybody Seen My Baby?,” brings to the surface Jagger’s effort to sound modern as it incorporates elements of 90′s R&B and Hip-Hop. The same could be said about the menacing and thuggish “Gunface,” along with the unnerving electro-influenced “Might As Well Get Juiced.” Keep one thing in mind though, Bridges To Babylon is not the first time the Stones have tried their hand at R&B as most of their career has been built on interpretation of American R&B. Combine the attempt to sound modern with Keith Richards’ stubbornness in staying true to the band’s roots and you have one of the Stones’ best latter-day efforts. You also inadvertently have a classicist effort in the vein of Voodoo Lounge but not as calculated. “Low Down” and “Too Tight” are both straight-forward rockers along the lines of “Flip The Switch,” while “Already Over Me” and “Always Suffering” are both heartfelt ballads. The second single, “Saint Of Me,” is a gospel-influenced number which recalls Exile On Main Street, and the same could be said about “Thief In The Night,” the second of three tracks sung by Keith Richards. The first track sung by Richards, the reggae-influenced “You Don’t Have To Mean It,” and the latin-influenced rocker “Out Of Control” recall Black And Blue.
The album closes with the third track sung by Keith, “How Can I Stop,” which is one of the most soulful songs the band has ever recorded. Bridges To Babylon is the best and most ambitious Stones album since Undercover but this time around they are a lot more pleasant to listen to.
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