Becoming a four piece seemed to give Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie a new lease of life, which instilled Voodoo Lounge with lusty riffs and explosive beats on killer tracks like ‘Sparks Will Fly’ and ‘You Got Me Rocking’.
Yet the album also features some of the most gentle and romantic songs for decades, such as ‘Sweethearts Together’, ‘Blinded By Rainbows’ and ‘New Faces’. The yearning soulfulness of ‘Moon Is Up’, combined with Ronnie’s wah wah pedal steel playing, Mick’s harmonica, Charlie’s mystery drum and even Keith’s tambourine make for a truly unique and evocative Stones song.
The album of course features new Stones collaborator, bassist Darryl Jones, who had been Miles Davis’ protégé, and worked with Herbie Hancock. Darryl’s jazz pedigree appealed to aficionados Mick and Charlie, but it was the way he clicked with the group that cemented his role as bass player. The album gave the band two solid firsts, their first Grammy award win for Best Rock Album, and their first British No.1 since 1980’s Emotional Rescue. The album was co-produced by Don Was, and was recorded in late 1993, in Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, and in early 1994 at A&M Studios in Los Angeles.
