Reuniting after three years and one solo album from
Mick Jagger,
the Rolling Stones attempted to settle their differences and craft a comeback with
Dirty Work, but the tensions remained too great for the group. Designed as a return to their rock & roll roots after several years of vague dance experiments,
Dirty Work is hampered by uneven songs and undistinguished performances, as well as a slick, lightly synthesized production that instantly dates the album to the mid-'80s.
Jagger often sounds like he's saving his best work for his solo records, but a handful of songs have a spry, vigorous attack -- "One Hit (To the Body)" is a classic, and "Winning Ugly" and "Had It With You" have a similar aggression. Still, most of
Dirty Work sounds as forced as the cover of Bob & Earl's uptown soul obscurity "Harlem Shuffle," leaving the album as one of the group's most undistinguished efforts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine