Keith Richards – ‘Crosseyed Heart’ Album Review

There’s a dark fascination, as there has been throughout history, with the outlaw, and no one embodies the spirt of the rock ‘n’ roll outlaw more than Keith Richards. When it comes to discussing the debauched lifestyle of the rock star, Keith Richards is exhibit A, B and C and whilst the reality does not quite live up to the myth, there’s a sense that Keith enjoys and plays up the myth nonetheless. Keith’s heart, of course, belongs to the Stones and his destiny is forever entwined with that rock ‘n’ roll juggernaut which still shows no signs of slowing down, and so it should come as no surprise that ‘crosseyed heart’ is only Keith’s third solo album and that the last one, ‘main offender’ dates back to 1992. Not prolific then, or at least not as a solo artist, but Keith proves a surprisingly varied and effective song writer on his latest album, offering up a touch of Leonard Cohen blues, a hint of Eric Clapton and, of course, that wonderfully worn voice that is familiar to anyone who ever fell in love with Stones tracks like ‘you got the silver’. It’s a brilliant and addictive album and, if the production is quite raw, that only helps to add to the timelessness feel of the album as a whole.

Opening with a delicate blues riff, the album’s title track is a svelte piece that pairs the picking of nicotine-stained fingers with that savaged, whiskey and honey voice that so rarely gets an outing to sublime effect. It’s a short piece, a mere two minutes or so before Keith mumbles “That’s all I’ve got!” before ‘heartstopper’ swaggers into view on the back of Steve Jordan’s thunderous kick drum and an electrifying riff from Keith who is on ferocious form. It’s a ramshackle affair, a million miles from the studio polish you might expect from a major star, but then Keith Richards was always far more about the rock than the star and the result is an album that is as honest a representation of its creator as you could hope for. Next up is ‘Amnesia’ which has a weird New York groove running through it and which is notable for featuring a performance (one of two) from the late and much lamented Bobby Keys. Pure driving rock, ‘amnesia’ channels Lou Reed and Z Z Top and seems to epitomise cool in a way that no conscious attempt could ever achieve. In contrast, the country swirl of ‘robbed blind’ recalls the worn vocals of Bob Dylan whilst simultaneously recalling the melody of ‘tears in heaven’. It’s a fine song and it contrasts nightly with the fast-paced garage rock of ‘trouble’ which has a nasty Stones swing to it. With Richards giving vent to the rock ‘n’ roll animal inside, ‘trouble’ is one of the album’s highlights and it’s hard to escape the feeling that ‘the human riff’ was having a hell of a time when he recorded the track in the studio. Marginally less successful is ‘love overdue’, a slinky roots reggae track written by Gregory Isaacs that harks back to the eighties when some of the biggest pop and rock stars would regularly indulge such follies. It’s well played and Keith inhabits the vocal with typical honesty, but it feels slightly out of step with the rest of the album.

After ‘love overdue’, the smooth rock of ‘Nothing on me’ comes as a welcome change of pace, with Charles Hodges’ Hammond organ and Keith’s ragged vocal giving the song a subtle Dire Straits undercurrent before the dark ‘suspicious’  slides into view channelling Leonard Cohen and Richard Wright with its subtle guitar work and weary vocal. An album highlight, ‘blues in the morning’ is the second track to feature Bobby Keys’ saxophone and it proves to be a hard rocking blues number with a storming, foot-stomping beat and some sublime lead from Keith. No less impressive is ‘something for nothing’ which revisits ‘you can’t always get what you want’, opening up with the strains of Harlem Gospel Choir before the tune segues into another toe-tapping bluesy number. Keith goes head to head with Norah Jones next for the lovely ‘Illusion’ in which his charismatic, raddled voice contrasts perfectly with Norah’s gorgeous tones over a soul number that recalls Smokey Robinson’s ‘tracks of my tears’ with its shuffling beat and endlessly memorable melody. Taking a quieter turn ‘Just a gift’ is a sweet number that drifts on some sweet guitar work whilst ‘goodnight Irene’ sees Keith take on a Huddie Ledbetter track, casting it as a delicate bluesy shuffle before ‘substantial damage’ sees Keith deliver a punk-infused rant that cuts to the very heart of the modern obsession with technology at the expense of society with Keith neatly encapsulating the frustration that the older generation must very frequently feel with the younger over a hard rocking soundtrack that is kicked out with surprising vigour: “What’s that thing attached to your ear? I’m talking to you but you don’t seem to hear.”  The album ends with ‘lover’s plea’, a beautiful coda that offers up delicate, countrified blues and a chorus to die for just as the album spins to a halt.

Keith Richards doesn’t need approval from anyone. He is an artist who has reached that point where he could sit back and do nothing and still be assured of a legacy that few could ever hope to attain. It’s hard to imagine that this album was created for money that Keith, frankly, simply doesn’t need and even if it was, the artistic decisions made are far from commercial. In short, ‘Crosseyed heart’ is a labour of love’, an album written for Keith’s own personal satisfaction as an artist, and if we, the audience, happen to come along for the ride, then that’s our business. And so, despite the fact that the album’s on a major label, ‘Crosseyed heart’ is wonderfully independent of spirit and it showcases some of Keith’s very best work. There are subtle blues workouts and full-on rock tracks, a nod to country and a hint of pure driving rock all wrapped up amidst the fifteen tracks on offer. Fans of the Stones will undoubtedly come out for the pair of Bobby Keys tracks, both of which are wonderful pieces, but even though Keith is utterly inseparable from the legacy of that great band, ‘crosseyed heart’ stands firmly on its own merits. Simply a great album, ‘crosseyed heart’ is a raw, honest representation of a great artist and well worth a listen.