DATE: Tuesday, September 30, 1997           TAG: 9709300032

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Music Review 

SOURCE: Craig Shapiro, staff writer 

                                            LENGTH:   48 lines

``BRIDGES'' ISN'T HIGH-RISE BUT SHOULD STAND UP WELL

THE ODDS didn't look good.

Last week's live broadcast of the kickoff of their North American tour wasn't pretty. The self-serving commentary was about Mick's kids, Keith's dad and Charlie's grandchildren.

No one discussed the new disc.

Then the band lurched through DOA versions of ``(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'' and ``It's Only Rock 'n' Roll.'' OK, they're a greatest hits act these days, but with millions watching, not one new song?

Finally, there was the ``Bridges to Babylon'' buzz: Too many cooks (Don Was, the Dust Brothers, Danny Saber) and studio guests (maybe a dozen). The first single, the unconvincing ``Anybody Seen My Baby,'' borrowed so blatantly from k.d. lang's ``Constant Craving'' that she and Ben Mink got co-writing credit.

The net? Score one for the Rolling Stones. ``Bridges,'' due today, isn't ``Let It Bleed.'' Thankfully, it's not ``Voodoo Lounge,'' either.

Call it a mostly solid argument that they can still stir things up.

To be sure, these aren't your father's Stones. The 13 tracks here are mid-tempo rockers and ``Wild Horses''-like ballads, none of which will likely make the next best-of set. The album also gets weighty from filler. Program past ``Anybody,'' where Jagger mimics his ``Angie'' whisper. ``Low Down'' and ``Too Tight'' play like retreads too.

But give these fiftysomethings their due. On ``Gunface,'' produced by Saber (U2), Jagger jettisons the affectations and swaggers like old. On ``Might as Well Get Juiced,'' one of two tracks helmed by the Dust Brothers (Beck), his wailing harp and the loping bass of Doug Wimbish (Living Colour) recast the blues in a decidely '90s context.

``Saint of Me,'' the other Dust Brothers project, is built on Billy Preston's B-3 gospel foundation. It's the disc's best track.

Richards provides the rest of ``Bridges' '' best moments. ``You Don't Have to Mean It'' has a gruff, reggae appeal. ``Thief in the Night,'' a slice of bayou menace about reclaiming a lost love,'' pairs perfectly with the closing ``How Can I Stop,'' a tender ballad that rides out on Wayne Shorter's sax.

Watts, without question the best drummer in the biz, gives the entire album a lift; it gets even better when he's joined by Jim Keltner on percussion. Who needs loops? Ronnie Wood's slide guitar still stings; he also colors several tracks with dobro and pedal steel. The backing vocals of Bernard Fowler (a regular on Watts' jazz projects) and Blondie Chaplin are outstanding.

It's no Golden Gate, but ``Bridges'' is sturdy enough.

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