The Rolling Stones – Foreign Tongues Review: Better Than Hackney Diamonds?
The Rolling Stones are back with Foreign Tongues, and I am going to begin with the one part of the album I really do not like: the cover.
I didn’t particularly like the artwork for Hackney Diamonds, either. What is going on with Rolling Stones album sleeves at the moment? Fortunately, once the record starts playing, the cover becomes largely irrelevant because, musically, Foreign Tongues is magnificent.
In fact, I am going to say it: I prefer this to Hackney Diamonds.
I gave that album a glowing review when it arrived in 2023. I loved it and still do, but Foreign Tongues feels even more consistent. When I first played it, Sue walked into the room, immediately recognised the Stones and said, “Is this the new one? It sounds even better than the last one.”
So, it isn’t just me.
Released on 10 July 2026, Foreign Tongues is the Rolling Stones’ 25th studio album and once again finds the band working with producer Andrew Watt. The 14-track album runs for just over an hour and includes contributions from Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith and Chad Smith, alongside longtime collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan.
It also contains a special appearance by the late Charlie Watts on “Hit Me In The Head”, captured during one of his final recording sessions.
The album entered the UK chart at number one, becoming the Stones’ 15th UK number-one album and drawing them level with The Beatles. It also topped charts across Europe and Australia while reaching number seven on the US Billboard 200. Official Charts, BMG
Does an hour-long Stones album need editing?
Some listeners have suggested that Foreign Tongues contains filler because it lasts for more than an hour. I didn’t feel that at all.
The Rolling Stones have always made great compilation albums. Records such as Made in the Shade, Rolled Gold and GRRR! work so well because almost every Stones studio album contains several classic tracks alongside songs that may take longer to reveal themselves.
That applies even to their most celebrated records. There are songs on Exile on Main St. that didn’t connect with me immediately. When I originally heard Black and Blue, the tracks that grabbed me were “Fool to Cry” and “Crazy Mama”. My relationship with that album is very different now.
That is one reason I never tire of the Rolling Stones. I weave in and out of their catalogue. Albums and songs I once overlooked suddenly become favourites. Undercover was never among my preferred Stones albums, but I appreciate it far more today.
What surprised me about Foreign Tongues was how many of its songs connected with me immediately.
A reminder of why I chose the Stones
When I was at school, you were often expected to choose between The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. For me, it was always the Stones.
They had more edge. They were darker and more dangerous. The Beatles might have been singing “She Loves You”, while the Stones had something like “Paint It, Black”. To my ears, the Stones were the rock ’n’ roll band.
That spirit remains at the heart of Foreign Tongues.
Andrew Watt is clearly the producer many major rock artists want to work with at the moment, but his relationship with the Stones feels particularly successful. He hasn’t tried to reinvent them. He has captured what makes them distinctive and then pushed that energy directly through the speakers.
Foreign Tongues: track-by-track
“Rough and Twisted” opens the album with dirty, blues-soaked rock ’n’ roll. It has a terrific chorus, anthemic chords, sharp guitar licks and some wonderful harmonica. The production is powerful, but the track still feels loose and dangerous.
It immediately reminded me that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are now in their 80s. How can musicians of that age still produce something with this much energy?
People were calling the Rolling Stones dinosaurs when punk arrived. They were supposedly finished during the 1980s, the 1990s and again during the 2000s. Even when It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll appeared in 1974, I remember people at school saying the Stones were past their best.
Now here they are in 2026 with another number-one album.
For those of us who are also over 21, that is inspiring. You do not have to go quietly into the night. You can keep fighting, set off your own fireworks and continue doing what you love.
“In The Stars” keeps the momentum going with another instantly recognisable Stones rocker. There is something here that reminds me of The Black Crowes—although, of course, The Black Crowes have always carried a strong Stones influence. I particularly like the backing vocals and the fact that the band resist the temptation to slow everything down too soon.
“Jealous Lover” introduces a more laid-back atmosphere, touching upon the mood of Black and Blue and ballads such as “Angie”. The chorus lifts the song beautifully and quickly becomes an earworm.
“Mr. Charm” took slightly longer to convince me. Then the chorus arrived, followed by those interlocking guitar parts from Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, and it had me.
“Divine Intervention” is another mid-paced rocker with a feelgood chorus. At this point I was still waiting for the song that would park me in the lay-by and give me an excuse for a rest. It didn’t arrive.
“Ringing Hollow” brings in country flavours and slide guitar, but it remains a wonderfully warm and accessible song rather than interrupting the album’s flow.
“Never Wanna Lose You” is propelled by fast, solid drums and bass, with those hanging rock chords the Stones use so effectively. The instruments seem to leave spaces for one another, allowing the band to move in and out of the groove. It is direct, commercial and strengthened by another set of excellent backing vocals.
Then we arrive at “Hit Me In The Head”, one of my favourite songs on the album. It is a fast, hard-rocking track with a fantastic guitar sound—and, importantly, it features Charlie Watts on drums. Hearing Charlie powering a new Stones recording carries enormous emotional weight, but this is much more than a historical curiosity. It genuinely rocks.
“You Know I’m No Good” is the Stones’ cover of the Amy Winehouse song. Opening with drums and harmonica, it suits them remarkably well. Mick Jagger’s performance carries some of the shadowy atmosphere associated with “Strange Game”, his theme for the television series Slow Horses.
Jagger is extraordinary throughout this album. There are singers considerably younger than him struggling to reach melodies they recorded in the 1980s, yet Mick still sounds unmistakably like Mick Jagger. His phrasing, attitude and presence remain intact.
“Some Of Us” slows the pace and hands the lead vocal to Keith Richards. It has a Leonard Cohen-like quality, with a little Dire Straits atmosphere drifting through the arrangement. Mick’s appearance on the chorus provides another colour and makes this a particularly effective late-album change of mood.
“Covered In You” begins gently before those stop-start, hanging guitar chords return. Jagger moves between singing and speaking, while the track grows into another classic Stones groove. Paul McCartney supplies bass on the song, clearly relishing the opportunity to operate within a band setting. Apple Music
“Side Effects” has a huge chorus and a definite 1980s flavour. Once again, it is an earworm built around great chords and an immediate hook.
“Back In Your Life” is the album’s big ballad. Jagger is superb, the guitar solo is beautifully judged and Ronnie Wood’s playing beneath Mick’s closing ad-libs gives the song a suitably emotional conclusion.
Finally, “Beautiful Delilah” takes the Rolling Stones back to their roots with a live-in-the-studio performance of the Chuck Berry song. Producer Andrew Watt persuaded the band to record it directly to analogue tape, bringing the album full circle to the music that helped create the Stones in the first place. MusicRadar
The Now Spinning verdict
I expected Foreign Tongues to contain at least a few songs that would need time to settle. Instead, almost the entire album connected with me immediately.
It rocks, it grooves and it contains the blues, country, soul and traditional rock ’n’ roll elements that have always existed within the Rolling Stones. Most importantly, it sounds alive.
I don’t like the cover, but I absolutely love the music.
Is it better than Hackney Diamonds? For me, yes. That is not something I expected to say, but Foreign Tongues feels more consistent and contains even more songs that I want to return to immediately.
The Rolling Stones are not quietly preserving their legacy. They are still adding to it.
Music is the healer and the doctor. Thank you, Rolling Stones.
What do you think of Foreign Tongues? Is it better than Hackney Diamonds, and which tracks have connected with you most strongly? Let me know in the comments.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
