Goddess in the Doorway

1	Visions of Paradise 4:01
2	Joy 4:40
3	Dancing in the Starlight 4:06
4	God Gave Me Everything 3:34
5	Hide Away 4:33
6	Don't Call Me Up 5:14
7	Goddess in the Doorway 4:56
8	Lucky Day 4:51
9	Everybody Getting High 3:56
10	Gun 4:41
11	Too Far Gone 4:35
12	Brand New Set of Rules 7:39

Barnes & Noble

While not technically Mick Jagger's first solo album -- he's hit the studio alone three times before -- this surprising disc marks the first time the Stones frontman has fully stepped out of the shadow of his legendary band. Jagger still struts and preens with the bravado of a stud half his age -- heck, maybe even a third -- on cocksure rockers like "Everybody Gettin' High" (which features some blistering guitar work from Aerosmith's Joe Perry) and the leering riff-fest "God Gave Me Everything." On the other hand, he seems to be more willing to examine the foibles of middle age on the album's smattering of low-key ballads, most notably the melancholy "Call Me Up" and the reflective pledge "Brand New Set of Rules" (on which he calls on daughters Elizabeth and Georgia May for vocal aid). Goddess in the Doorway also finds Jagger tentatively testing the waters of some genres he's heretofore left unexplored, such as the electronic beats that percolate under the melody of "Gun" and the hip-hop flavor that resonates through the Wyclef Jean-produced "Hide Away"). The disc features a laundry list of guest stars -- performers as disparate as Lenny Kravitz, Bono, and matchbox twenty's Rob Thomas -- which sometimes lends an air of dislocation. The crowded room doesn't, however, distract the listener from the party's host. Remarkably, Mick makes good on his boast made so long ago -- sticking his pen down deep into his heart, he's produced a real flesh-and-blood album. It's only rock 'n' roll, sure, but it's awfully hard not to like it. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Goddess in the Doorway is shiny, impeccably produced mainstream rock, occasionally blessed with Mick Jagger's falsetto or sly turn phase and dominated by his attempt to cover all the bases: slinky dance tunes, some contemporary rhythms, hints of the Stones, tamed raunch, and frothy pop songs. Stephen Thomas Erlewine