The Eagles, The Beatles, The Beach Boys...and the list of pop/rock groups that have endured the onslaught of Nashville's country tribute albums has grown by one - The Rolling Stones. Debuting at No. 13 on the Country CD's chart in the October 18 edition of Billboard magazine, Stone Country is "Stone Cool."
   While the Eagles may have been a legitimate tribute to a group whose country roots were solid, the Beatles, Beach Boys and Stones are solid rock groups whose forays into other genres such as country were wonderful experiments for those groups.
   To what extent those groups were influenced by American country music is virtually a mute point because by and large their music is definately NOT country, even though it is great music in its own right.
   Be that as it may, Stone Country is basically an exercise in bandwagon jumping at its best - translated: Stone Country is a wonderful album if you forget for 30 minutes that the performers are country artists.
   Travis Tritt covers "Honky Tonk Woman" (a Stones song he has performed live over the years from time to time) with a hyperactive groove that is sure to please all the leather clad cowboys out there. Tracy Lawrence widens his vocal range with his growling vocals on "Paint It Black." Deanna Carter's version of "Ruby Tuesday" sounds as if it were specially cut for her voice. Sammy Kershaw's "Angie," Collin Raye's "Brown Sugar" and Little Texas' "Beast of Burden" are all equally enjoyable though they basically sound like your average neighborhood bar bands cover songs.
   Mixed in among these tunes are a few gems that do demand to be noticed. The Tractors add their own irrepressible funk to "The Last Time," and Rodney Crowell's version of "Jumping Jack Flash" is a flash back to his rock and roll flavored album of the 80's - Street Language (an excellent album by the way) and Blackhawk's mandolin licks kick off an uptempo foot stomper in "Wild Horses."
   Unquestionably the two covers that stand far and above the others are the final two cuts on the album.
   Nanci Griffith's remake of one of the Stones country experiments - "No Expectations," with a decidely rootsy style instrumentation has an Emmylou Harris vocal quality to it.
   But it is the icon of country music, George Jones, that gives this album the vindication it desperately needs with his wonderfully nasal vocals and recitations on "Time Is On My Side." In fact, Jones' cut is so good that it sounds as though it were written specifically for him and is better suited to be included on one of his albums rather than as part of this money-making scheme.
   Jump on the tribute bandwagon by buying this album and if you're not a bandwagoneer - then borrow it!

-Charlton Wiggins