Anybody know where this first appeared?

Wingless Angels - Island Jamaica/ Mindless Records

Having put aside their differences, or perhaps having been lured by the money involved, Jagger/Richards took the Rolling Stones show on the road again a few years ago in support of the 'Steel Wheels' album, and again two years later for the 'Voodoo Lounge' disc. The weak 'Bridges to Babylon' (which sounds like a Mick Jagger solo album, but not as hip) means they're at it again.

Now let's be clear about this, there probably isn't a bigger Stones fan on this campus, but even I will admit that it's been a good twenty years since they put out anything genuinely above par (1976's 'Some Girls'). Then again I will also maintain, and this is the tricky part, that Keith Richards has always been the stable cog in the machine.

His contributions to Dylan, Tom Waits, Snooky Pryor, and Chuck Berry pianist Johnny Johnson, as well as his solo output have always been good at worst and exquisite at best. He forges a path back to his roots with the same conviction, determination and religious zeal he held back in 1963, when he and Brian Jones unearthed gems by Slim Harpo, aforementioned Chuck Berry and Howlin' Wolf.

Which brings me to the 'Wingless Angels' album. As you're having visions of the Stones caravan trekking across the world this year, driving 25 mph, the left tail-light oddly flashing, and Hell's Angels patrolling the crowds 'politely' enticing people to switch from AT&T to Sprint telephone deals, put on the Wingless Angels album and reconsider.

As we watch the Stones travel the world like some dear friends who went a little funny a while back, Keith seems the only one who remembered to drop us a postcard from time to time to let us know what's up.

The Wingless Angels is a Jamaican entourage of singers and drummers of which Richards is really only one part; the self-styled "albino member of the group". His part of the bargain was to co-produce the album, provide the recording facility at his Jamaican house, and add the odd-bit of guitar, bass, piano and voice where needed.

If you're expecting a slick and produced bit of plastic, be prepared. Keith plays Alan Lomax here, only this time the field-recordings document a coupla hundred years of Jamaican heritage instead of Afro-American folk. This means that we not only get strong African roots, but also the influence of the Wesleyean hymns of the Pentecostal missionaries that, at one point, helped shape Jamaica (here they are nicely aided by Frankie Gavin's flurries of violin, accordion and tin whistle). Traditional chants such as 'On Mount Zion I' and 'Roll Jordan Roll' find themselves alongside more recent standards including 'Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)' and 'Rivers of Babylon'. The undercurrent on all of them is provided by the exquisite sounding drums and a fair share of dub-style bass.

The drums, in a sense, are the heart of every song. The other focus is the vocals, but even they are led by the sluggish, entrancing rhythm of the deep, booming hand drums. Pumping and rolling, they mimic the rhythm of the heart, letting the sixteen songs meld together as one epic soulful journey.

Recorded at night, and outside you can actually hear the crickets in the background, along with the in-between-song banter and laughter. The 'Wingless Angels', because "they sing like angels, yet can't fly", nevertheless soar.

A labour of love by all involved, several listens are required for every subtle detail to reveal itself. Like Brian Jones' "Pipers of Joujouka" nearly thirty years ago, or the more recent Ry Cooder "Buena Vista Social Club" series, it is a pleasant experience to find a well established artist taking such great care, and showing such humility, in preserving ethnic folklore. More to the point, the man is clearly in love with these songs and musicians.

'Wingless Angels' seems to accurately capture the spirit in which it was made. Old friends together again for an all-night jam. Richards sitting quietly in a corner playing any old instrument, no doubt grinning. As the spirit fills the room, every musician can feel it, and they are bonded by the moment...a herbal cigarette does the rounds, a knowing smile is exchanged, and the drums start up again. Dawn, when it comes, will be both beautiful and unexpected. -Hjalmar Tjan