The Rolling Stones are a victim of their own magnitude. It has long been far hipper to dismiss them as aging, wealthy dilitantes than it has been to admit to liking their work. And too, The Ronnie Wood years do not have the cache that the Mick Taylor early 70s work or the Brian Jones Britpop 60s work had-- even though Wood has been a Stone for 30 of their 42 years. Voodoo Lounge is, I think, unchallenged as the high point of their output post-1980, and it is a strong album from start to finish.

The best thing about Voodoo Louge is that is doesn't have a "sound"-- which is to say, it sounds like the Stones. Ronnie Wood is an outstanding guitrist and the perfect foil for Richards, and this is a guitar album first and foremost (well, it is a song album, but then a guitar album.) "Love is Strong" and "You Got Me Rocking" are radio-ready (or iPod-ready) classic riff-rockers in the best Stones tradition. "Brand New Car" is snaky and groovy and beguiling, with Jagger's nasty vocal implying far more than he actually puts in the lyric, and Woody and Keef dancing their magic weave together. "Sweethearts Together" is reminiscent of "Indian Girl" from Emotional Rescue (another underrated album with which this shares some groove and spirit.)

As is the case on most of the last 7 or so Stones albums, the Keith songs are highlights. "The Worst" is one of those poignant anti-ballad ballads he does, his ravaged and coarse voice belying the sentiment of the lyric and the quality of the songwriting. And "Thru and Thru" is just simply outstanding; used to great effect to conclude season 2 of the Sopranos cable series, it is a snarling, gritty rocker that by itself makes this album noteworthy.

The Voodoo Lounge sessions were productive ones, and there are many bootlegs floating around of outtakes, demos, and alternate versions. It is worth noting that one of these bootlegs contains an alternate version of the album, in sequence-- supposedly "Keith's mix"-- that actually surpasses the released version.

If you want to check out a later-period Stones album, this is the one. Every one has at least one or two or three tracks that make it worthwhile, but this is clearly the strongest and most consistent. From here, Bridges to Babylon is good too, less consistent but worth the effort, especially the deeper you get into the record (past the radio hits and into the art.) Steel Wheels sounds tinny to me, although there too the last few songs are worth the effort (especially Keith's gorgeous "Slipping Away.") Undercover and Dirty Work are probably the last post-1980 studio releases you need, although there again, each has a gem or three.

In one significant way Voodoo Lounge is typical of post-early-70's Stones records in that it has a good portion of very likeable rock n' roll only to be awkwardly joined by so many ill numbers that the whole cd is blurred by it.

Their previous album, 'Steel Wheels,' faced the same problem but the ensuing result of the hesitation to toss out a few bad songs makes the listener feel even more slighted because there are a higher number of good ones here.

What makes 'Voodoo Lounge' even more of a 'what could have been' is the fact that there are a couple of great blues-rock songs on their single 'Out of Tears' that are a lot better than at least three or four of the songs that made the final cut and I wonder how many listeners have had the chance to hear those left-out rhythms.

But I guess when you're as good as the Rolling Stones can be, the expectations rise and when misfires are happening so consistently, it makes one wonder what they were thinking. Could they actually be purposefully bad just to prove some sort of twisted point, or to get people off their back, or some weird something (a.k.a., Bob Dylan, who, at points of his career, could be labeled Mr. Inconsistency).

But 'Voodoo Lounge' provides some great Rolling Stones songs, some of which sound like contemporary versions of the types of songs they may have included thirty years earlier on 'Out of Our Heads,' which is quite a compliment since that period contains some of the Stones' purest blues rock, before they got on their 'change with the decade' kicks and being the Rolling Stones became more important and obviously self-conscious than just putting out good music.