The Rolling Stones have a new album, Foreign Tongues, out, much to their fans’ delight. Audiences have long craved the raw blues-rock sound of Mick Jagger’s vocals, Keith Richards’ slashing riffs, and the band’s pugnacious attitude. Critical reception to the new record has been mixed (I found it meh), but there is ample desire for such unvarnished manly sounds. As evidenced by the reviews, fans of the new Stones record weren’t looking for a return to the courtly baroque pop of “Lady Jane” or “As Tears Go By”. They wanted the loud, aggressive energy of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” or “Tumbling Dice”.
This style is historically categorized as “cock rock” because of its emphasis on masculinity and performative sexuality. Fans of that kind of music didn’t have to wait for the Stones to put out something like it. There are plenty of good, macho blues-rock bands out there. The Glimmer Twins themselves know that. They hired Ghost Hounds to open for them on three separate concert tours between 2019 and 2024.
Ghost Hounds have recently released a new album that should please fans of this musical style. The record even includes a blistering cover of the Jagger/Richards classic “Gimme Shelter”. We live in an age of female musical dominance where artists such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Phoebe Bridgers, Charli XCX and Chappell Roan rule the roost. Justified serves as a preservative to a legacy subgenre that operates in a sanitized pop environment. It proudly proclaims its male power roots in songs such as Freddie King’s “Going Down” and original tunes like “Something Wicked” and “Sinner’s Prayer”.
These tracks are not chauvinistic in terms of gender or perspective. As Ellen Willis pointed out decades ago, the Rolling Stones’ nasty songs like “Under My Thumb” were far more egalitarian in worldview than a sensitive songwriter like Cat Stevens, whose “Wild World” urged women not to take risks. Willis believed the Stones’ upfront, raw honesty about sexual friction and power dynamics was more liberating than the paternalistic, protective masking in Cat Stevens’ folk-pop. Ghost Hounds’ hard-rocking style expresses gender pride. No one on the album puts down women, and women play and sing on it.
Lead singer SAVNT’s voice is the most distinctive thing about the Ghost Hounds’ sound. He exuberantly sings with passion even when he holds back on tunes like “Pale Horse” and “After You” before letting loose on the choruses. Songwriter/producer/guitarist Thomas Tull keeps things percolating underneath, with help from guitarist Tyler Chiarelli, fiddler Kristin Weber, keyboardist Joe Munroe, bassist Bennett Miller, and drummer Sydney Driver. The music digs a big groove, Southern style.
Two songs showcase the Ghost Hounds’ folk and country roots. The tender “Chasing Yesterday” conveys the importance of having no regrets, a sentiment Jagger/Richards would certainly approve. SAVNT sings the lyrics with an ache in his voice that expresses compassion and kindheartedness. Justified ends with a gospel-inflected acoustic version of “Amazing Grace”, complete with a church choir. The assumption seems to be we all need redemption. Hallelujah, amen indeed. Ghost Hounds may sound corporeal, but they also have a spiritual side.