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"Voodoo Lounge" marked a comeback for the Rolling Stones in 1993. It had been five years since their "Steel Wheels" album, and both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had turned 60. Both men were also releasing solo albums, and Bill Wyman had retired from the band, so it was a kind of triumph that the album even came to be. But fortunately, the music was terrific

The album opens with three hard songs that prove the Stones mean business. "Love Is Strong" features an arch, insinuating vocal from Mick - along with a wailing harmonica riff. But the second song dispenses with mystique altogether, cataloging Mick's desperation before a chorus that simply repeats three times: "Hey, hey, you got me rocking now." The song's highlight is an inspired guitar solo by Keith, and then the band speeds up the tempo even more for "Sparks Will Fly."

After establishing their rock and roll cred, the album switches to softer songs, including the first of two ballads sung by Keith. "The Worst" uses a slide guitar and a country violin to complement Keith's humble vocal, and "New Faces" augments its acoustic guitar with a harpsichord. "Moon is Up" mixes the slide guitar with a promiment bass and drum line, but the next track is probably the album's prettiest. A slow piano part accompanies Mick's pained explanation of why he won't cry - "I'm out of tears."

The album contains a whopping 15 tracks, and fans who bought it on vinyl received a two-record set that was missing the final track. This meant the vinyl album ended with Keith's meandering six-minute ballad "Thru and Thru," a slow wail that basically explains that he's loyally waiting for his lover's call. But the CD's bonus track left the non-vinyl listeners with a more upbeat final track, "Mean Disposition." The Stones even had some extra songs left over from the session, and released "Jump on Top of Me" as a B-side when "You Got Me Rocking" was released as a single.

"Voodoo Lounge" showed the Stones were serious about continuing to rock their way through the 1990s. (For "I Go Wild," Charlie Watts was even placed at the bottom of a stairwell so the sound of his drums would echo up through several floors.) Some cynics wondered if the Stones would start slowing down when they reached their 60's. "Voodoo Lounge" proved they wouldn't.

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