The Rolling Stones took a break for the first few years of the 90s. Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards released solo albums, as did Ron Wood and Charlie Watts, and the band’s original bassist, Bill Wyman, left the band. The Stones also switched record labels from Columbia to Virgin.

When they regrouped, they released their 20th studio album, one that built on the success of “comeback” record Steel Wheels — 1994’s Voodoo Lounge.

The Stones recruited produced Don Was to take the helm alongside The Glimmer Twins (Jagger and Richards’ moniker), and Was came in with the goal of recreating the classic Rolling Stones sound. That caused some friction with Jagger, who was always eager to explore new ground sonically.

I’m fascinated by that through-line in The Stones’ career — lead singer and band leader Jagger always pushing the band to get away from what they do best. He’s like a brilliant concert pianist who insists on trying his hand at the tuba.

He lost that battle on Voodoo Lounge, and the album is better for it. For my money, this is the best Stones album since Some Girls, released 16 years earlier. It has a winning combination of gut-punch rockers and thoughtful ballads, and a sound that would have felt right at home alongside the band’s 70s work.

Voodoo Lounge was a hit, going double platinum in the U.S. and giving The Stones their first #1 album in the UK since 1980. Lead single ‘Love is Strong‘ failed to make a splash on the charts, but it’s a scorching success featuring one of Jagger’s most distinctive lead vocals. And third single ‘Out of Tears’ was the band’s most effective ballad in years.