The songs on this album are top notch.
I'm only nitpicking the production. I think it's too smooth around the edges. Don't get me wrong, it's MAGIC on "Hate it When You Leave", but I keep wondering...
What if this album had been produced by Joe Henry? Or Jack White? Or Tom Waits? (sigh)
I try not to think about it.
Get the album.
October 10, 2008 |  | Why don't more people make music like this anymore? |  |
I listened to this again after a few years without hearing it and I still love it. Order it now, Its worth it. I wish more people still made music like this.
August 15, 2008No sense in comparing him to the Stones. No musician doing a solo album wants to sound like his signature band. This was just another project Richards did. Looking at it that way, I think it's pretty good. It's not his typical hard driving guitar licks. It's more melodic which I kind of like. The songs "Eileen" and Yap yap" are well written. "Wicked as it seems" is more reminiscent of his more typical songs with a strong guitar solo. This seems like a concerted effort and although not his best, I think it still deserves recognition as an interesting, different, and worth owning CD from Kieth Richards, who in my mind IS the Rolling Stones.
March 8, 2008| | | "I've Got the Expertise" . . . | |
Keith boasts on "Wicked As It Seems" from Main Offender. The best album the Stones never made, it's better than anything they've put out in over a decade. Keith shows why his half of the Jagger-Richards tandem is the strongest with these ten solid tracks. The recent Stones' albums have suffered from excess, in that some of the weaker material isn't pared out, often to the detriment of the entire album. Conversely, this album is like a concise sucker-punch to the gut. Rockers like the explosive "999" and the sly "Wicked As It Seems" share space with the acoustic ballad "Demon", possibly the best such song since "Wild Horses". Keith's other influences shine here as well, most notably the Motown soul of "Hate It When You Leave" and the reggae number "Words of Wonder". "Eileen" is a spirited number in the manner of Happy". "Yap Yap" is a wry song about an overly-loquacious female friend. "Runnin Too Deep" and "Will But You Won't" are both riff heavy mid-tempo rockers.
Say what you will about Keith's voice, but it fits the material here in a way that a more polished instrument would not. Keith's band is both tight and loose all at the same time and brings a level of urgency to these songs that a Stones' album hasn't had for quite some time.
January 21, 2008 | | Not as good as the " TALK IS CHEAP" | |
I was disappointed with this 2nd solo album from Keith, especially since his first TALK IS CHAEP and the LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM were such strong sets. Not as many great songs or lyrics. It shows Keith's lazy side, 'cause it could have been better. Same musicians as on the first. Sarah Dash is underutilized on this CD, appearing only on BODY TALK. Too bad ' cause her upfront vocals on TALK IS CHEAP and the LIVE CD's really brought out extra layers of needed soulfulness & excitement that made Keith's voice more listenable. Worth a listen, not really bad at all , but not that great.
January 8, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(31 reviews)