Mick Jagger's New Gig

For the first time since the Stones formed almost a half century ago, Mick Jagger is rolling out a brand new band. SuperHeavy, as it is called, is a supergroup no less. A crazy quilt of musical influences that converge to create something fresh with its mix of reggae, rock, ballads, soul, and even an Indian song in Urdu. Music so diverse it defies categorization. Set to drop in September, the band's eponymous debut album, SuperHeavy, is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated records of the fall.

SuperHeavy is the brainchild of the legendary Rolling Stones frontman and U.K. guitarist/producer Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, who have worked together on numerous occasions over the years, most notably on the song "Old Habits Die Hard" off the Alfie soundtrack. The band, a motley crew if ever there was one, also features soul songstress Joss Stone, yet another Alfie collaborator of Jagger's (the duo cut the track "Lonely Without You" for the soundtrack); A.R. Rahman, the Oscar-winning Indian composer behind films such as Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours; and Damian Marley, youngest son of Bob.

The group was formed two years ago when Stewart called Jagger from his home in Jamaica. "I lived in Lime Hall right above St. Ann's Bay," he says. "It's kind of the jungle, and sometimes I'd hear three sound systems off in the distance, all playing different things." Inspired by the fusion of sound, Stewart approached Mick with the concept of throwing together a band of musicians from different cultures and musical genres. Jagger loved the idea, and the two promptly began making phone calls to artists around the globe. Six months later, they had themselves a band.

Stewart, Jagger, Stone, Marley and Rahman all converged in a Los Angeles studio 18 months ago, armed with little more than ideas, a few guitar riffs, snippets of lyrics, and writing pads. "We didn't know what the hell we were doing," says Stewart, who describes the band as a mad alchemist-type experiment. "We were just jamming and making a noise. It was like when a band first starts up in your garage. Sometimes Damian would kick it off and then Joss would sing something on top of it. We might have a 22-minute jam and it would become a six-minute song."

Jagger says the organic nature of the project was completely different from anything he's ever been involved in before. Cobbling an album together on the fly is not his typical way of working. "You always want to leave some room for improvisation, but you need to have something, some songs, when you walk into the studio." But he went with the looser method of songwriting and was surprised to find himself inspired by the spontaneity of the process.

SuperHeavy, whose name came from some improvised vocals by Marley, has four vocalists. Swapping out vocals freed Jagger up to assume other roles within the band, including playing the guitar and harmonica. SuperHeavy's track list will consist of 16 to 18 songs including the uplifting pop lilt of the first single, "Miracle Worker," and a double shot of vintage Jagger on the acoustic number, "You're Never Gonna Change," and the slightly ominous, "One Day, One Night," with Jagger singing the blues against a collage of electronic beats and Indian and Jamaican rhythms. Other songs include the title track "SuperHeavy," "Satyameva Jayate," "Beautiful People," "I Don't Mind," "Common Ground," "Unbelievable," "Hey Captain," and "Energy," a dance track on which Marley raps on the verses. The band have written 29 songs in total.

Jagger is confident that Stones fans will embrace the group. "It is a different kind of record than what people would expect," he says. "It's not all weird and strange though. I think Stones fans will think it's a bit odd, but they'll find most of it accessible. They've heard me play harmonica before and a lot of it [the music] is pretty high energy."

As for the future of SuperHeavy, there are no immediate plans to tour, although this may change depending on the reception the new album receives when it is released on September 20.

And speaking of tours, there remains that persistent rumor that Jagger's other band may hit the road for a run of dates in celebration of their upcoming 50th Anniversary in 2012. Concerning the rumor, Stones' guitarist Keith Richards says he is optimistic. "Something's blowing in the wind," he says. "The idea's there. We kind of know we should do it, but nobody's put their finger on the moment yet. This is what we want to ask each other: Do we want to go out in a blaze of glory? We can, if Mick and Charlie feel like I do, that we can still turn people on. We don't have to prove nothing anymore. I just love playing, and I miss the crowd."

But Jagger just chuckles. "I don't have any announcement to make at the moment," he says. "I'm just doing this right now."