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The Rolling Stones continue to show no signs of slowing down, as they released their new album, “Hackney Diamonds,” on October 20. It’s the 26th studio album by the classic rock giants, who have been performing since 1962. It’s also the first studio album of all-new material the band has dropped since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang,” and their first studio effort since the passing of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, though they did use two drum tracks Watts recorded before his passing.
The effort has been well-received by critics and admirers alike, including Premiere Radio Network’s Senior Director of Rock Programming and Specials, Sal Cirrincione, who was one of about 600 select guests who attended a star-studded debut concert in Manhattan Thursday night. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to offer his impressions of the album and the show.
“As is usually par for the course, they like to celebrate with some kind of a launch party, usually in New York,” Cirrincione told Berman and Riedel. “It was a private event, celebrity-filled with lots of head-turning going on, from Christie Brinkley to Ed Burns, Daniel Craig… The highlight of the night was that the Stones did do a seven-song set that lasted about 35 minutes. They played four songs off the new album, as well as some classics that people love, like Tumbling Dice and Jumping Jack Flash, so it was a fun night for everybody.”
“Hackney Diamonds” - which is British slang for the broken glass left behind after a burglary – also features contributions by other rock luminaries, such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga. Cirrincione says their efforts are all worthy of the buzz. “This really is a solid Rolling Stones album. It has the up-tempo stuff, it has their countrified, ballad-y kind of songs that they’re known for, and also a very soulful song [called] “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” which is in line with ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ or ‘Gimme Shelter.’ It’s one of those that just builds and builds and builds…so they brought it all back full-circle on this album.”
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