Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit (1993)

When Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart released the Alfie soundtrack in 2004, I read a lot of paint by numbers reviews that mostly repeated what seemed like common knowledge for most music critics then, Mick Jagger's solo albums blow. With the bad taste of Mick's awful work with Rob Thomas still fresh/rotten in their minds, who can blame them.

But when Jagger released a solo best of compilation in 2007, I read a lot of positive things about the songs on the one Mick Jagger album that I know did not suck, 1993's Wandering Spirit. Produced by Rick Rubin and featuring an excellent backing band, Mick experimented with a number of different genres and included interesting covers. By tackling different musical styles from different eras, this is the one Mick Jagger solo album that didn't ape whatever was hot on the pop charts right that second, thus making something horribly dated and lame in the process. Wandering Spirit is one of those special records that I loved listening to when I was a teenager, but still go back to and listen to quite often because for me, it has held up over time as a really good album that belongs on the shelf next to the Rolling Stones records and Keith Richards' own great solo albums.

Here's a couple songs from the record release show for Wandering Spirit at Webster Hall in New York City on February 9, 1993, followed by some mp3s of album tracks.




Mick Jagger - "Wandering Spirit"





Mick Jagger - "Evening Gown"

The other great country song on the record was "Hang on to Me Tonight"

Mick Jagger - "Hang on to Me Tonight"

Look for a post on Keith Richards' solo albums from around this time coming soon.

Buy Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit at amazon.com.