The Rolling Stones never claimed to be one of the most proficient bands in the world. While they may hold the record for being one of the longest-lasting rock legends still working today, both Keith Richards and Mick Jagger have been able to squeeze most of their music out of the traditional blues formula, albeit with that sinister touch that only they can deliver. Even though Richards may be known to take the odd lead vocal on a song here and there, he knew that no other singer could match what Jagger did in one of their deep cuts.
When the band started, though, Jagger was still coming into his own as a frontman. Being hired thanks to founder Brian Jones, Jagger slowly began to morph his performance style to suit the music, remaining a bit stoic at first before mastering his dance moves and infamous rooster walk when he struts across the stage.
What often gets lost when talking about his performance is the amount of versatility Jagger has in his vocal register. Even though he may not be giving someone like Mariah Carey a run for her money anytime soon, Jagger’s distinct character every time he steps up to the mic is unparalleled in rock, taking all of the hurt that he has felt in his life and channelling it into songs like ‘Satisfaction’.
While Jagger stretched his muscles across albums like Between the Buttons and Their Satanic Majesties Request, the end of the 1960s saw the band getting back in touch with their bluesy roots. From Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street, the band tore through some of the most unforgettable rock music of their career, spanning plaintive ballads like ‘Wild Horses’ while making barnburners like ‘Bitch’ and ‘Brown Sugar’.
Of all the songs that touched on the band’s bluesy foundation, though, ‘Midnight Rambler’ is the one song that seemed to surpass their wealth of cover songs. Taking the basis of a blues shuffle, Jagger sounds like he has grown into the hardened blues man that he was destined to be, while Richards provides the perfect rhythm guitar pulse behind him.
Even though Richards was indebted to the blues stylings of players like Robert Johnson, this may have been one of the few times the band surpassed their inspirations. Besides the fantastic groove behind the song, Richards said that Jagger’s vocals couldn’t be matched by any other rock singer before or since.
When discussing writing the song, Richards recalled just how well Jagger’s voice suited the melody, saying, “I mean, I write songs for Mick to be able to sing. Obviously, they are not tailor-made because I’m not that good a tailor. But, for example, ‘Midnight Rambler,’ ain’t nobody else could sing that except Mick and I wrote it for him”.
Then again, ‘Midnight Rambler’ is just one facet of Jagger’s vocal range. As the band ventured into different sonic territories in the 1970s and beyond, Jagger was still toying with different spaces within his vocal range, making from beautiful moments like ‘Angie’ and some experiments best left unrepeated like ‘Harlem Shuffle’. Jagger may be able to do many different things with his voice, but as far as Keef is concerned, it doesn’t get any better than when he’s rooted in the blues.
