How the Rolling Stones Returned to Their Blues Roots on 'Hackney Diamonds' – and the Story of Charlie Watts' Final Drum Tracks on 'Mess It Up'

The most emotional hook of Hackney Diamonds isn’t a reunion or a guest – it’s hearing Charlie Watts play one last time. The track “Mess It Up” features Watts’ final recorded drum part, cut during sessions in 2019, before his death in 2021. The band kept the original performance, only overdubbing bass and vocals, because nothing else fit the groove. It’s a crisp, backbeat-driven soul-rocker, a reminder that even in his last years, Watts swung harder than nearly anyone.

The album itself marks a deliberate return to the Stones’ blues foundations after years of slicker pop-rock. They recorded at multiple studios, including Electric Lady in New York, Henson in L.A., and even Keith Richards’ home studio in Connecticut. Producer Andrew Watt pushed them to play live in the room together, often cutting basics in just a few takes. The result is a loose, raw sound – closer to Exile on Main St. than Bridges to Babylon. Songs like “Depending on You” and “Bite My Head Off” lean into Chicago blues and early R&B, with Mick Jagger’s harp and Keith’s open-G chug front and center. The whole project feels like the Stones reminding everyone they started as a blues covers band.