Rolling Stones – Foreign Tongues (2026)

Mick and Keith are 82-year-old rock stars. New guy (he has only been a Stone for 50 years), Ronnie Wood, is a mere 79. Foreign Tongues is their twenty-fifth studio album. It has only been three years since their last studio album, Hackney Diamonds in 2023; however, it had been eighteen years since their previous album of new material (2005’s A Bigger Bang). So the boys are on a roll.

Hackney Diamonds was an elaborate album cycle:

• Marketing via a massive global campaign that included viral publicity stunts, a high-profile launch event in New York City with Lady Gaga, and strategic partnerships with artists like Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder.
• Merchandising via pop-up stores in London, New York, and Tokyo, and collaborations with fashion designers and various brands to drive engagement and sales.
• Tour: The 2024 tour in support of the album grossed $235 million, selling 848,000 tickets.

The album was a critical success (“a return to form” and a Grammy), several songs were part of their live shows, and physical copies sold well; however, it streamed poorly (the Stones’ legacy catalog streams well). To me that suggests Hackney Diamonds was more of a souvenir for Stones fans than an album that resonated in the culture. Stones tours since the late 80s have consistently been huge – so nothing new there. Stones fans are more interested in their first couple of decades than the last four decades.

The obvious question to me is why do rich (Jagger and Richards are estimated to each be worth $600 million) octogenarian rock stars feel compelled to release new material? They can fill any stadium in the world playing oldies. Although they are not touring, they are marketing Foreign Tongues:

• A six-part “making of” podcast hosted by Norah Jones.
• Marvel Collaboration: They partnered with Marvel to release five character-inspired collectible vinyl LP variants featuring Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Thor, and The Hulk. Each includes a custom comic book insert. 
• FIFA Collaboration: The band announced a partnership with FIFA, offering three limited-edition vinyl variants themed around the World Cup.
• Media and viral appearances; for example, Jagger did a long-form interview with the New York Times.

The big payday for the Stones is touring. Without a tour, I question if there is an ROI here. But at this late date it is more about bolstering the Stones’ brand: despite their age, they still have creative juice, and they can still rock.

Well enough about Rolling Stones, Inc., how is the music? This is a solid Stones album, but not a classic. It is an impressive late-career addition to their catalog, and if this is their last, a great way to go. The album has definitely grown on me. Although it does not have a highlight like Hackney’s “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” I think it is a better overall album than Hackney. I have to temper my enthusiasm because every time I have listened to a new Stones album since Steel Wheels in 1989, I have been pleasantly surprised and grateful for quality new material (only for the album to enter a memory hole a few weeks later). The 80s are a well-documented rough patch for the Stones, and Steel Wheels was a return to form. Although their release schedule has significantly slowed down, the last 40 years of Stones studio albums have been consistently good, and Foreign Tounges continues that pattern.

Jagger’s presence dominates – I can’t help but be amazed by his vocal prowess. It is not that he is pretty good for 82, but he is as good as at any point in his career. Comparing Jagger’s vocals to McCartney on his latest makes the point – Sir Paul’s voice sounds weak and thin compared to Sir Mick.

Once you get past the big shadow cast by Jagger, there are lots of tasty licks from Keef and Woody. Woody particularly shines on lead.

Like Hackney Diamonds, this is an Andrew Watt production. After starting his career songwriting and producing for artists like Bieber, Post Malone, and Camila Cabello, he became the “boomer whisperer,” producing albums for Paul McCartney (The Boys of Dungeon Lane), Ozzy Osbourne (Ordinary Man, Patient Number 9), and Pearl Jam (Dark Matter). He also produced the latest Lady Gaga and Brandi Carlile albums, which I am fond of. Watt’s brings a contemporary pop, yet muscular vibe to the Stones, yet it sounds like the Stones. The band seemed to click with Watt, who was in his early 30s when he first started recording with the band.

“Rough and Twisted” ignites the album with a classic Keith Richards riff in the left channel, and he is quickly joined by Ronnie Wood on the right. It is a classic Stones’ take on the blues. Jagger calls it a blues fantasy in interviews. It is about a woman who makes grand promises—offering the world to someone—only to lead them into a series of unfortunate experiences. Great opening track. It was the first single (white label vinyl 12-inch only) released under the alias “The Cockroaches.”

“In the Stars” is a pop juxtaposition to the raw “Rough and Twisted.” It was released as the first streaming single backed by “Rough and Twisted.” Lyrically, it appears to be a sentimental reflection on the band’s six-decade career.

“Jealous Lover” features Jagger’s soulful falsetto in a kiss-off song: “Hands off, jealous lover / Please let me be.” It is lyrically lightweight, but musically great and a fantastic vocal performance.

“Mr Charm” is a classic Stones rocker with a nice Keef riff (it reminds me of AC/DC “Girls Got Rhythm”), and the overall song sounds a bit like “Shattered.” It appears to be mocking autocrats and tech moguls: “Life’s too short for just making money.” One of my favorite songs on the album

“Divine Intervention” features Robert Smith on guitar (evidently the collaboration happened organically – Smith happened to be recording in the same studio and was invited to contribute to the album). The song is classic Stones’ rock ‘n roll and appears to be about the randomness of life: “… life is a gambling game.” The track also features Steve Winwood on piano and organ and has a great horn arrangement.

“Ringing Hollow” is the Stones’ typical ironic take on country music. I love when the Stones play country. Woody’s slide is a standout feature of the song. It is the Stones’ heartbroken love song to America. The Stones love America (hell, they have made a few billion off America) and are saddened by the current state of the country. Now this is how you pull off a protest song without being ham-fisted. My favorite song on the album.

“Never Wanna Lose You” has a little of that Stones disco vibe. Robert Smith provides synthesizer and backing vocals for this song. The song is kind of a trite love song, but man do I want to hear this live in a stadium.

“Hit Me in the Head” is the Stones in the blues punk mode. It is built on an archival Charlie Watts drum track. Great tribute to Charlie.

“You Know I’m No Good” is a fairly straight Amy Winehouse cover – a bit bluesier and with plenty of Stones signifiers.

“Some of Us” is the required Keef lead. The song is a major shift sonically – an acoustic ballad, and lyrically it expresses weariness, yet resilience. It is a song Richards has been working on for a while; here is what he says about it:

That song has been hanging around in the head for years, and I never quite got around to putting the finger on it. Some songs are very elusive. I remember ‘Start Me Up’ was 10 years, from the writing of it to when it came out. I know it’s like good wine: Some of it’s better, you know, aged.

“Covered in You” features Paul McCartney on bass. It has a new and unique sound for the Stones: punk, funk and rap. Lyrically, the narrator sounds like a jilted lover, but there is a whole verse that seems directed at U.S. politics.

“Side Effects” is upbeat pop, but the lyrics are about abusing prescription drugs.

“Back in Your Life” is a classic Stones ballad – like “Angie.” Jagger performs an amazing soulful vocal performance, and Woody has an epic guitar solo. Lyrically, the narrator is a jilted lover trying to figure out how to get his lover back.

“Beautiful Delilah” ends the album where the band began thier career: covering Chuck Berry. After all the modern production of the album, this takes a primitive acoustic approach that predates Chuck Berry’s original.

This is a way better album than one should expect from an ancient band. I am seriously considering calling this the best album of the Stones’ stadium era (1989 to present). But as I noted earlier, I tend to love these new stadium-era Stones albums only to forget about them and never come back to them.