Rod still wears it well
He turns 77 in January but put Rod in front of a mic and time melts away like snow on a hotplate. That wonderful voice, as raspy as a 60-a-day smoker’s, is utterly age-proof.
As for the libido, One More Time finds Stewart addressing an ex who taught him “how to nasty in those naughty high-heel shoes”. They’ve split because he’d rather be “rockin’ with my good old country band” than settling down, but he pleads for “one more time, just for old time’s sake”.
Just one, Rod? Maybe he is slowing down after all.
Its gentle Caledonian folk verses build into country-fried pop, complete with fiddle, heartwarming harmonies and an insistently addictive chorus. It’s one of nine originals, most co-written with keyboardist and co-producer Kevin Savigar.
New songs range from the upbeat Latin-flavoured stew of Gabriella, to Hold On, a tender bigotry-bashing plea for “equality for all”, referencing Sam Cooke. Born To Boogie is a Marc Bolan tribute, while Precious Memories could almost be The Platters. Rod has the knack of making anything he sings sound like it was written for him. This is especially true of the title track, a heart-wrenching break-up ballad. Stewart is the anguished lover getting over his ex by drowning his grief in a bar – which is fine until he sees her face across the street “through the tears of Hercules”.
The other non-originals are Some Kind Of Wonderful, a rip-roaring cover of the 1967 Soul Brothers Six blues song, and a stirring version of Johnny Cash’s These Are My People.
It ends with Touchline, dedicated to his Scottish father Robert, a master builder who gave Londoner Stewart his lifelong love of the beautiful game.
As his 31st solo album proves, there’s more chance of seeing Celtic fans sing The Sash than of Roderick retiring.