Shine a Light: Original Soundtrack [Deluxe Edition]

Several things are clear from watching Martin Scorsese's concert movie SHINE A LIGHT. One is that the Rolling Stones are old. Another is that they're still able to play with a tightness and vigor that stands up to the music being made by most current 20-something outfits. That energy crackles through the 16 tracks on the SHINE A LIGHT soundtrack, the film's sonic counterpart, which captures the Stones at New York City's Beacon Theater in 2006 in surprisingly stripped-down, feral form.
There's nothing flashy or pretentious about the Stones' performance, which helps highlight their unmistakably natural, time-tested ease playing with each other. Even dusty classics like "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Brown Sugar" come off with flair, and lesser-played gems like "Faraway Eyes" and "You Got the Silver" are a welcome treat. The guests-the White Stripes' Jack White on "Loving Cup," Buddy Guy on the Muddy Waters' classic "Champagne and Reefer," and Christina Aguilera on a fiery version of "Live With Me"-enliven the band, and provide some of the album's best moments. Given the amount of live Stones' material available, and the band's already towering legend, the necessity of such a set may be debatable, but it's hard not to hear this for what it is: a good rock show from a band that knows its stuff.