All supergroups contain a member or two whose stardom outshines the rest and so it is with
SuperHeavy, a motley amalgamation fronted by
Mick Jagger,
Joss Stone, and Damian Marley and also featuring
Eurythmic Dave Stewart and Indian film composer
A.R. Rahman. Unquestionably
Jagger’s star shines brightest but he’s not the center of this universe, nor is
Stone, the only member who has been a constant presence in international pop charts over the past decade. No, the creative director here is
Dave Stewart, who was suddenly seized by the possibilities of a pancultural purported pop, enthused to his friend
Jagger and brought him on board, then filled out the group with totems of different cultures: Marley representing Jamaica,
Rahman Bollywood,
Stone the new breed. Mad scientist that he is,
Stewart takes pains to balance each voice because “Common Ground” is kind of the point of this venture -- sounds from every corner of the world converge to create music intended to speak to every corner of the world. Such global thinking extends to the lyrics, where
SuperHeavy endeavor to make sense of the world’s mess, to figure out “what the f*** is going on,” as
Joss sings on “I Can’t Take It No More.” By the time this tune pops up on
SuperHeavy, many listeners may be asking themselves the same question due to
SuperHeavy’s insistence on being everything to everyone.
SuperHeavy certainly don’t lack for ambition but there’s a self-congratulatory insularity here that’s off-putting; they’re making music for themselves yet are convinced of its edifying properties. Perhaps if the album actually had some kineticism to its eclecticism, or at least a hook or a tune, it would earn its wannabe evangelism, but the untrammeled indulgence turns this into a gaudy multicolored circus.