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In 1993 Mick Jagger recorded, "Wandering Spirit," a solo album that proved the 60-year-old rock vocalist could still turn in an amazing performance. The same year the Rolling Stones would re-unite to record "Voodoo Lounge," their first album in five years. Jagger brought in some of the best musicians of the early 90s for "Wandering Spirit," and even recorded a duet with Lenny Kravitz..

The album even spawned a #1 single. "Don't Tear Me Up" is a great song, opening with just organ chords and a quiet cymbal riff, as Mick joins in softly with the first of its world-weary lyrics. ("Life is rich, but it's way too short. You make a lot of money, but you just want more...") The song progresses to its loud-soft-loud chorus, switching from acoustic guitar to electric guitar as Mick snarls "don't poison my blood," and the instrumentation keeps on building through the second verse. There's a strange bridge in the middle of the song just before the guitar solo - but each pass through the chorus seems a little more intense.

The album's most intense song is probably Jagger's duet with Lenny Kravitz. A catchy low guitar riff and a bass line run under the song's intermittent lyrics. It builds up to moment when the song breaks down to just Mick's vocal and some light percussion, as he growls that "you can keep on using me, until you use me up." Kravitz's bluesy verses complement Jagger's angsty performance perfectly. And Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers plays the bass (also appearing on two more of the album's tracks).

That's one of the best thing about the album: a real variety in its vocal styles. "Wandering Spirit" is straightforward rocker, fast and rowdy, but "Evening Gown" is a slow country ballad. ("I can still paint the town all the colors of your evening gown while I'm waiting for your blonde hair to turn grey.") Most of "Sweet Thing" is sung in a falsetto voice. And the album's final track is a traditional folk song called "Handsome Molly" (once sung by Bob Dylan), featuring just Jagger's voice and a fiddle.

One complaint about Mick's earlier solo albums was that the tracks were indistinguishable - that each song followed the same pattern, trying to deliver a stadium sized knock-out punch. This album finds Mick branching out, exploring new musical choices and delivering songs that were surprisingly original.

Maybe that's why the album was called "Wandering Spirit."

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