Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger’s first solo album in eight years, Goddess in the Doorway, is a mixed bag. When he works with a guitarist like Lenny Kravitz on “God Gave Me Everything,” the album sounds like Sticky Fingers-era Stones. The same goes for “Everybody Getting High,” with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, and “Gun,” with Pete Townshend. Unfortunately, many of the songs here—e.g., “Dancing in the Starlight”—sound like an ’80s rehash, something nobody wants to remember. Jagger desperately needs someone like Keith Richards to add energy and grit. On the good side, the blues-rock “Joy” features Bono on vocals, with a gospel choir. “Too Far Gone” is a fine passage-of-time ballad that recalls the Stones’ classic “Dead Flowers.” As with most Rolling Stones albums from the last 20 years, on Goddess in the Doorway there are a few songs to remember and many to forget.