For his second solo album,
Mick Jagger
teamed up with producer
Dave Stewart
(
Eurythmics
), turning in a more adventurous and ambitious record. Of course, "adventurous" and "ambitious" are relative terms. In comparison to the carefully constructed, state-of-the-art
pop/rock
of
She's the Boss
,
Primitive Cool
sounds lively, as
Jagger
puts some genuine conviction behind the funky
"Peace for the Wicked"
and the
country
stylings of
"Party Doll."
Nevertheless, the album, like
before it, is designed to establish
as a solo star in his own right, and
is filled with attempts at contemporary
rock
and
dance-pop
. The nadir of his stabs at modern
pop
is the appalling single
"Let's Work,"
where the
star tells his fans to get off their asses and start working, all to a bouncy, aerobicized beat. However, most of the album is more appealing than the single, even if
's writing seems forced on the numbers designed with the Top 40 in mind (
"Shoot Off Your Mouth,"
in particular). Not surprisingly, the best moments on
occur when he stops seeing the album as a way to jump-start his solo career and he concentrates on the music. While his emotionally unguarded songs (
"War Baby"
"Party Doll"
) are the most affecting tracks on the record, songs like
"Let's Work"
are more indicative of
's true feelings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine