Ronnie Wood Feels Like Playing (06-10-2010)

The new solo album (above) by Ronnie Wood (below). Photo by Jack English.

 Sorry for the delay in his new. I know that it went out last month but there still people that don't know.

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood released his seventh solo studio album, I Feel Like Playing, on Sept. 28.

The disc is Wood’s first new solo album in nine years, and the 63-year-old guitarist calls I Feel Like Playing his best solo outing yet. Featuring a dozen songs, the album takes its name and cover from one of Wood’s more vibrant pieces of recent artwork (Wood is a lifelong artist, respected painter and London art gallery co-owner). The color and verve of the cover is reflected in the swagger of the music on the album.

Wood wrote or co-wrote all but one of the album’s 12 songs; the lone exception being a treatment of Willie Dixon blues classic “Spoonful.” He is joined on the album by a slew of guests, including Slash (“Sweetness My Weakness,” “Spoonful,” “Fancy Pants,” “Forever”), Flea (“Why You Wanna Go and Do a Thing Like That For,” “I Gotta See,” “Spoonful”), Eddie Vedder (co-writer on “Lucky Man”), Billy Gibbons (“I Gotta See,” “Thing About You”), Kris Kristofferson (who contributed to “Why You Wanna Go and Do a Thing Like That For,”), Bobby Womack (“Lucky Man,” “I Don’t Think So” “Forever”), former Faces bandmate Ian McLagan (“Lucky Man,” “Catch You,” “I Don’t Think So,” “100%,” “Tell Me Something”) and others.

Wood has always found time for solo work throughout his long career, starting with aptly named 1974 solo debut I’ve Got My Own Album to Do and continuing with releases including Now Look (1975), Gimme Some Neck (1979), 1234 (1981), Slide on This (1992), Not For Beginners (2001) and various collaborations and live albums.

Those who still regard Wood as “the new guy” in the Stones (he’s been in the 48-year-old band for 35 years now) should note that the guitarist’s career dates back to the raucous early days of the British Invasion.

Wood began his professional music career in 1964 with the Birds (not to be confused with the U.S.-based Byrds), which achieved moderate mid-decade success in the U.K. before disbanding in 1967. Wood then joined the Jeff Beck Group as bassist and did a brief 1968 stint as guitarist for the Creation. Wood and Jeff Beck Group vocalist Rod Stewart joined the Faces in 1969. After he released his first solo album in 1974, Wood joined the Rolling Stones in 1975 and remains with them to this day.