

Caught between the dissolution of the Faces and his impending membership as a full-time Rolling Stone, Ron Wood released his first solo album in 1974. For the occasion he recruited his dream band: a rhythm section comprised of Sly Stone drummer Andy Newmark and Donny Hathaway bassist Willie Weeks, and supporting guitar and vocals from Wood’s best friend and partner-in-crime, Keith Richards. The cheekily titled I’ve Got My Own Album to Do is the perfect introduction to Wood’s personality. His music is slightly ragged, but very sweet, and underscored by exemplary taste in Rhythm & Blues. There are plenty of left turns and idiosyncrasies in the material — witness the tense, sleazy funk of “I Can Feel the Fire” and “Shirley”— but the album’s reputation is secured with a pair of love songs. “Mystifies Me” and “Cancel Everything” reveal Wood (with keening backup vocals from Richards) as the rascal with a heart of gold, and the tunes are two of the best to ever emerge from the Faces/Stones nexus.