Keith Richards, rock n’ roll’s ultimate survivor, swung through the late Jimi Hendrix‘s Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village on Tuesday night to host a listening party to Crosseyed Heart, his first solo album in 23 years.
Attended primarily by journalists, label folk, publicists and a few musicians (let’s just say receding hairlines and distinguished greys were readily spotted), the intimate crowd spent most of the hour-plus event with their eyes 1) fixated upon the Rolling Stones guitarist or 2) sneaking surreptitious glances at the Rolling Stones guitarist. Aside from the thrill of seeing a grizzled-yet-beaming rock warrior like Richards up close and in the (extremely weathered) flesh, half of the fun of the Crosseyed Heart listening party was watching men well past 50 fawning like Directioners.
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As for the music, the publicists asked journalists to hold any reviews until closer to the album’s Sept. 18 release date. But let’s just say this — Crosseyed Heart is much better than most solo albums made by lead guitarists from classic rock acts. Hell, its best moments are a lot stronger than the lion’s share of the Stones’ ’90s material. Whether he’s channeling Chuck, indulging in his long-standing penchant for reggae or singin’ the blues, Keef is often at his best when he’s just kicking around, doing his thing on his own terms. That attitude, of course, explains why it took 23 years for his third solo album to drop, but hey — no one expects a 9-5 work ethic from Keith Richards.
Despite the event invite promising that Richards would be on hand to introduce the album, the rock legend — sporting a snakeskin jacket and a red Solo cup, even though 95 percent of the room sipped wine — actually stuck around for nearly the entire event (most stars of his stature duck out at the first moment possible).
The crowd offered its biggest applause for “Blues In the Morning,” a surprisingly vital track featuring the scorching sax of late Stones sax player Bobby Keys. In response to the unexpectedly loud applause, Richards raised up his hands and offered a cheeky nod to his day job: “It’s only rock and roll!”
From anyone else, the jokey reference would have elicited a major groan. But for Keith motherf–king Richards, the crowd offered irony-free laughter. True, Keith’s wit might not be as sharp as his guitar, but fortunately for all of us, he’s letting his axe do the speaking on its own for the first time in two decades with Crosseyed Heart.