Mick Jagger and SuperHeavy Preview Album, Ponder Tour in Los Angeles

Posted on Jul 1st 2011 5:00PM by Steve Baltin
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Dave M. Benett, Getty Images

Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, AR Rahman and Damian Marley got together at L.A.'s Jim Henson Studios on Thursday to preview their new SuperHeavy album and talk to a few invited guests about one of the most anticipated records of the fall, which will be released on September 20.

The hour-long listening session began with a short documentary showing the band recording at Henson Studios, before the invited guests got a taste of what it sounds like when cultures, genres and generations gather together for a supergroup.

In the press conference afterward, Stone said, "We've made this crazy music that doesn't sound like anything else. It's its own thing." And Jagger joked it will end up in the uncategorized section of iTunes. It may indeed, and that is a good thing.

The eight songs played showed an impressive array of diversity, from the heavy rock and reggae feel of 'SuperHeavy' and the uplifting pop lilt of the first single, 'Miracle Worker' to a double shot of vintage Jagger, the ballad 'You're Never Gonna Change, and the slightly ominous feel of 'One Day, One Night,' which also features Marley taking the song home with a huge finale.

Jagger also spoke about how much fun it was for him to do a project with four other vocalists. "For me, working with four other vocalists was interesting. I realized we all had a part to play," he said. While Jagger might be the main attraction for those curious what his first band outside of the Stones sounds like, this is a collective. And what was truly exciting about the music was the seamlessness with which the vocalists work together. Often in the eight songs the group played, which Jagger said was just half the record, Jagger and Stone could be heard exchanging vocals with Marley coming in and toasting, all three of the voices interwoven brilliantly.

As the band made their way out yesterday to the five chairs seated in front, Jagger commented on the video shoot they had done the night before at the Paramount lot. Later on, Stone commented on the video, "We need to play again, but without extras, for real people." So, will the collective hit the road?

"It was fun miming it," Jagger said. "If everyone wants to hear it, I'm sure we'll do it."

Count us in.

Watch 'An Introduction to SuperHeavy'

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