When it comes to critical chatter about The Rolling Stones, pundits typically throw around a heap of superlatives. Unsurprisingly, most revolve around the Hall of Fame band’s rock bonafides: Greatest rock band of all time. The definitive Rock ‘N’ Roll outfit. There’s certainly no denying these praises. But what always made the Stones so timeless and goes a long way in explaining why they remain one of the most influential, groundbreaking and trailblazing musical acts of all-time, is and has always been their synthesis of genre: yes, rock is surely in there, but there’s also blues, R&B and gospel.
And let’s not forget about Country music.
It’s true: unlike the Chicago blues, for example, Country may not always be the primary genre that comes to mind when purists wax poetic about the Stones’ influences. But listen no further than, say, to 1971’s Sticky Fingers, the incomparable 1972 classic Exile on Main Street and so many of the band’s other iconic LPs, from 1968’s Beggars Banquet and 1969’s Let It Bleed to 1974’s It’s Only Rock N’ Roll and 1978’s Some Girls, to hear the clear influence not only of the Bakersfield sound — of which the Stones themselves have longed heaped praise upon — but also of some of the early Country greats from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash on down the line.
Long fascinated by the Stones, and specifically their Country roots, acclaimed Nashville-based producer Robert Deaton then spent the past several years on a specific mission: namely to shine a light on the Stones’ influence not only on Country music at large, but more specifically on some of its most convention-busting contemporary artists.
The thrilling result is Stoned Cold Country, an absolute eruption of a tribute album that pays homage to Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the rest of the world’s most dangerous band’s most-celebrated tunes. Featuring 14 vibrant performances of classic Stones tracks, each recorded in some of the most-respected Nashville-area studios by an unmatched selection of the Country world’s most vital musicians, Stoned Cold Country (due March 17th) is perfectly timed to The Rolling Stones’ monumental 60th anniversary as a band.
Stoned Cold Country features undoubtedly some of the Stones’ finest work — from “Gimme Shelter” to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” to “Angie” and “Paint It Black.” But it’s the interpretations of said material by a murderer’s row of Country stars that makes the album a can’t-miss project. According to Deaton, selecting the specific artists who would participate in Stoned Cold Country was as important, if not more essential, than the tracks themselves. Who among the current crop of Country talent, he wondered, could both honor the original Stones material while also putting their signature touch on the track?
The resulting list of artists — with names including Eric Church, Zac Brown Band, Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde and Lainey Wilson — is, in short, a collection of Country music’s brashest most uncompromising contemporary stars. And just like the Stones in their earliest years, each of the hand-selected Stoned Cold Country artists has made his or her mark on the genre by namely refusing to stick to conventions. It’s exactly why Deaton wanted them involved.
Over the course of the recordings, Deaton worked closely not only with the artists but with an army of top-notch studio musicians, including guitar and associate music producer, Danny Rader, to flesh out the material. And in an incredible twist of fate, Stoned Cold Country even features a stunning performance from Chuck Leavell, the Stones’ longtime piano player himself, who delights on Koe Wetzel’s impassioned and plaintive album-closing take on the Exile gospel-tinged plea, “Shine A Light.”
Each of the tracks that comprise Stoned Cold Country are fresh, lively and wholly original. And most importantly, they allow listeners the rare treat of being able to hear some of their favorite Country artists in a brand-new light — whether it’s Jimmie Allen showing off his R&B, falsetto-infused stylings on Some Girls “Miss You” or Zac Brown Band delivering a revved-up ramshackle run at Aftermath’s “Paint it Black.”
There’s also a host of charged-up, spirited rockers in the mix: from Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde’s spin on arguably one of the Stones’ most well-known tracks, “(I Can’t Go No) Satisfaction,” which kicks off the project, to Elle King tearing through a jumpy and freewheeling “Tumbling Dice.” There’s also a killer duet between Grammy-winning Country-rock duo Brothers Osbourne and Americana husband-and-wife outfit The War and Treaty on the equal-parts swinging and soulful “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)” as well as Eric Church’s whiplash wilding-out on an amped-up version of Let It Bleed standout “Gimme Shelter.”
A surefire highlight of Stoned Cold Country is also its display of some of the hottest up-and-coming Country talent: Lainey Wilson adds her signature drawl to the Let It Bleed benediction “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” South Carolina guitar phenom Marcus King delivers on a blazing, jammed-out take on Sticky Fingers “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” and Elvie Shane stuns on a slowed-down, piano-anchored version of “Sympathy For The Devil.”
And what would a Country tribute to the Stones be without some seriously Country tunes? To that end, Grammy-winning Maren Morris takes on one of the Stones’ most Country-fried tunes in Sticky Fingers’ “Dead Flowers,” all smooth melody and sticky molasses; Country legends Brooks and Dunn get animated on “Honky Tonk Women,” arguably one of the greatest Country songs ever penned; Steve Earle lays his emotions bare on Goats Head Soup’s “Angie”; and Little Big Town unfurl effortless four-part harmonies on a striking version of the magical “Wild Horses.”
In total, Stoned Cold Country is nothing short of an unequivocal salute to the Stones – a toast from Nashville to not only one of the best bands to ever do it, but specifically to their supreme influence on the past and present world of Country music. Or as Deaton himself says of the project: “It’s a love letter to the Rolling Stones from Nashville.” Amen.