Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 6

Running Time: 22 minutes and 16 seconds

Genre: Country/Blues/Rock

Personnel: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitars), Brian Jones (guitars), Mick Taylor (guitars), Bill Wyman (bass guitar), Charlie Watts (drums)

Producer: Various

Record Location: Various

Record Label: Universal Music Group

Art Direction: Studio Fury

Best Tracks: Country Honk, Prodigal Son

Quick Verdict: A different side of The Rolling Stones that many have missed

If anyone knows this sort of music incredibly well, it is none other than The Rolling Stones themselves. Country and Blues Music are often cited as the birthplace of Rock and Roll Music. No doubt that the likes of both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards understood this when starting out with The Rolling Stones. This digital-only EP is a celebration of their acknowledgements musically and was one of many released back in 2022 that followed along these lines. It is hopefully going to be a good listen, so let’s explore that now, and we shall hear if it is worthwhile to listen to.

1. Dear Doctor begins with some unique Country-esque vocals, and launches into a sweet and unique mixture of Blues and Country Music at hand. This is an awesome song about being sick and an invalid in society, just being ill and out of it. This is a very unusual Country Blues for The Rolling Stones. It is a plea to a Doctor/Psychologist about life’s ills. Nonetheless, this is a good listen from start to finish. The guitar playing throughout, especially on acoustic guitar, is very impressive. A wonderful, wonderful song to hear. Absolutely sweet and awesome music to listen to, and this is something magically upbeat and full of surprises. A mock female vocal from Mick Jagger is present here, and this tune wraps up extremely well. If you see a psychologist regularly and want a laugh about it all, this is for you. Good tune.

2. Country Honk begins with the sound of passing traffic, and launches into a nice recording of acoustic guitar, fiddle and drums. Mick Jagger sings an awesome song at hand, which is pure Country Blues. Otherwise known as Honky Tonk Woman on other song versions, this is a tremendous listen that has some nice and melodic musicianship at hand. A great, great tune at hand which is clever, unique and follows The Rolling Stones’ music traditions, with a twist of unique and wonderful humour about it all. Great to hear, and a sort of song that is never really made these days anymore. An absolutely top-notch listen from beginning to end, which has acoustic beauty and finesse about it all. Seriously cool to hear, and very wonderful indeed. Cars honk at the end as well.

3. High and Dry – Mono is a straightforward Bluesy stomp-style tune. Mick Jagger sings in a pseudo-USA Southern accent, and this is ridiculously enjoyable, if not a naff tune to hear. A seriously great and awesome tune to listen to, which sounds really cool and awesome musically. This sounds very pretty for all its ridiculousness, and just sounds extremely good in its very own way. A cool and interesting song about loving and loss, in the most Bob Dylan-esque and joyful way to listen to it. A genuinely good but not great song, but fortunately, this is a bit of a mockery musically. Nonetheless, different and awesome throughout. A very well executed and silly listen throughout. Cool and quite weird by today’s standards. Nice to hear, regardless. Catchy, too.

4. Let It Bleed begins with some loose slide guitar and launches into a fantastic-sounding song at hand. An extremely cool and different song that is consistent with this compilation. Mick Jagger sings superbly on this song, and it makes a great deal of sense musically to listen to. This is a sweet and mellow tune that celebrates the traditional Country Blues sort of trend musically from decades ago. There are drug references in this song, and The Rolling Stones present a gorgeous and unique form of the sort of music that they were inspired by earlier in life. A seriously amazing and deep tune which blows away many songs from today, without electronics or autotune involved. A really interesting and great song that has some wacky and interesting music throughout. Nonetheless, this is good for something that would have been popular in the likes of Texas or Tennessee in the USA. All in all, a very awesome and different song. The slide guitar and piano are really fantastic throughout, and the extended instrumental section at the end, with Mick Jagger singing and yelping throughout, is really sweet to hear. A really great listen from the album of the same name. An awesome and timeless tune indeed. Nice slide guitar is present here as well.

5. Love In Vain begins with some of the sweetest acoustic guitar playing that you will ever hear. It sounds fresh, fine and fantastic. Mick Jagger sings in a pseudo-Country style, and this tune gets going very nicely indeed. Slide guitar is present on this tune as well. A really, seriously awesome song at hand, which sounds really glorious to listen to. A seriously cool Southern USA styled and fried tune that sounds incredibly odd for The Rolling Stones, but a great one indeed. This is likely the sort of music that would have inspired Kid Rock throughout his Country Music phase. A mandolin is present here as well, which also sounds really cool. A majestic and monumental tune at hand, which sounds super cool to hear. All in all, this music is really neat and sweet. The music and performances throughout are excellent, just sounding really cool and great. This is a side of The Rolling Stones that many ignore, but it sounds sweet and unique. Very special in its own way indeed. A very cool mixture of Country inclinations and acoustic Blues Music. Fantastic.

6. Prodigal Son is the final song here and is a sweet and awesome song, which is monumental sounding throughout. Mick Jagger sings in a traditional Blues Music way that sounds really cool and wonderful. A genuinely good and sweet song that is intelligently delivered and very nicely upbeat to listen to. This sounds like the sort of tune folks would dig if they wore cowboy hats, smoked cigars and drank whiskey in their spare time. A simple, upbeat and enjoyable song that is special in its very own way. Obviously, The Rolling Stones had a unique magic of their own throughout. Extremely cool, and a great finish to a thoughtful compilation throughout. Awesome and excellent in its own unique way. Very nice and catchy as well.

This is obviously a left-field compilation album for those of you who want a particular sound by The Rolling Stones. It is not a mainstream Rock Music styled listening experience from these guys that you would typically expect. Instead, it is a collection that is best designed for a particular mood of The Rolling Stones that one can crave from time to time. Even so, this is a great Country Blues compilation. Should you listen to this release? Yes, if you dig some inspired Southern USA Music, but no if you hate that sort of genre and prefer more mainstream music sounds from the 21st century.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.