TALK IS CHEAP (LIMITED EDITION RED VINYL)

Personnel includes: Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, percussion); Waddy Wachtel (guitar); Michael Doucet (violin); Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural (accordion); Maceo Parker (alto saxophone); Bobby Keys (tenor & baritone saxophone); Johnnie Johnson (piano); Ivan Neville (piano, keyboards); Bernie Worrell (organ, clavinet); Chuck Leavell (organ); "Bootsy" Collins, Joey Spampinato (bass); Charley Drayton (bass, drums, vocals), Steve Jordan (drums, percussion, bass, background vocals); Sarah Dash, Patti Scialfa, Sam Butler (background vocals). Recorded at Air Studios, Montserrat, Switzerland and Le Studio, Montreal, Canada. All songs co-written by Keith Richards and Steve Jordan. The first solo outing from Mr. Rock & Roll himself, TALK IS CHEAP is a solid, rootsy effort with something for everyone. The opening cut, "Big Enough," mines a deep funk groove (abetted by veteran funksters Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic fame) and makes it clear that the set will not be pure Stones revival. While "Take It So Hard" kicks off with the clarion call of Keith Richards's signature guitar sound and echoes the vibe of Stones songs "Happy" and "Tumbling Dice," it lays claim to its own distinctive mood. "I Could Have Stood You Up" hearkens back to the swinging rock & roll of the 1950s, complete with doo-wop backing vocals and honky-tonk piano, before segueing into mid-tempo, emotive tracks "Make No Mistake" and "You Don't Move Me," recalling late-'70s Dylan. Approaching the album's end, the melancholic "Locked Away" provides an antidote to the head-bobbing rhythm of "Rockawhile" and the angular closing punch of "It Means a Lot." Richards's understated vocal delivery and blues-drenched guitar lines (which manage to sound simultaneously clean, spare, and gloriously sleazy) earmark this fine collection of tunes.