SuperHeavy
SuperHeavy
(Universal Records)

Super groups are not always known for creating super music but there are exceptions and Super Heavy, the new collaboration between Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley, Indian producer-singer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, is one of them.   The group’s self-titled album was released in September and while it doesn’t have the consistency and feel of a real group’s album, the band does manage to succeed with a number of great songs.

The group itself has been a well-kept secret since 2009, which may have helped them finesse their songs and avoid the pressure that comes with a project of this sort. One of the things the eclectic musicians here have going for them is a variety of musical styles incorporating various elements from music around the globe.  The album begins with a self-titled song, which declares the group’s presence with a bang and serves as a good example of why the most successful songs work as it incorporates a bit of each of the musicians in an individual and meaningful way yet manages to jell musically.  This unfortunately is not true of all the songs on the album but certainly enough of them to deem the album a success.

The highlights include songs like “Miracle Worker,” “Beautiful People,” and “Satyameva Jayathe,” as well as  songs like “Never Gonna Change,” which features Jagger prominently and feels more like a Rolling Stones tune and doesn’t really bear the mark of everyone in the group, but is a great song nonetheless.  The album does have a few songs that fall flat, but overall the album is a win for Team SuperHeavy for just managing to have a supergroup ominously named SuperHeavy, which manages not to crash and burn like so many supergroups before it.