Ronnie Wood: 'Rod Stewart isn't ruled out of Faces reunion'

Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood has said that the band "haven't ruled out" getting original frontman Rod Stewart to play with them again.
The reuniting band have recruited Simply Red's Mick Hucknall as a replacement for Stewart, and are set to play the Sussex Vintage At Goodwood festival (August 13-15).
Wood told NME that Stewart wasn't on board because of schedule clashes, but claimed they were on good terms and he may join them in the future. Stewart in fact told fans at his O2 Arena gig last week (May 29) to give the Simply Red man "a chance" if they went to see the band live.
"We haven't ruled Rod out," he said. "It's just that his schedule is totally crossing over exactly when we wanted him. We've got Mick Hucknall because his voice is just like Rod's was in the '70s."
He added: "The door's not closed to Rod, but we're carrying on because it's worth it."
The guitarist said that the band may tour in January and hoped to play Glastonbury and other festivals in 2011.

Rod Stewart at the O2 Arena

Watching the swaying, singing audience at the O2 arena, it struck me that Rod Stewart would make the greatest wedding singer of all time. He’s a genial entertainer with a great set of pipes who gives the audience exactly what they want: the hits, some standards, a bit of soul, disco, rock ’n’ roll, romantic ballads and arms-linked singalongs. There’s even cheeky banter and interval time built in for toilet breaks.

“Is there anyone here from Essex?” Stewart asks, with a wink, before strapping 6ft-plus English model Penny Lancaster appears on stage in a red mini- dress, grinning and dancing rather gormlessly to his lively version of the Sam Cook classic Twisting the Night Away. “That’s the wife,” quips Stewart. “I actually told her to stay in the van.” And where else but at a wedding or a Rod Stewart concert could you expect to see a 65-year-old man with his jacket off, shirt tails hanging out, shaking his bony behind beneath a glitterball and asking if we think he’s sexy?

After 30 years as a world- beating superstar, Stewart knows how to put on a show. There is nothing cool about him any more, if there ever was.

The stage is so bright and clean, it is like a Sixties set from American Bandstand blown up for The X Factor, and the versatile band are constrained in tight suits, with backing vocalists in matching sexy mini-dresses. It looks and feels like a cheesy review show, not dissimilar to the kind of thing Cliff Richard puts on, although there is a time those two would have been at the opposite ends of the rock spectrum. The thing that raises the bar is Stewart himself. His hoarse, soulful voice has always been a distinctive instrument: there’s sensitivity in his delivery and there’s a way that he closes his eyes and delicately sways when he sings that suggests he still gets lost in these songs.

And what songs. His voice always sounded old; now when he sings Handbags and Gladrags he really could be the disappointed grandfather reprimanding his wayward granddaughter. After all these years, and all these hits, and all the albums of cover versions, there’s never a dull or self-indulgent moment. The 20,000-plus audience belt out his classics with him, and when he leads them through a mass choral version of Sailing, it is impossible not to be swept overboard.

The Faces Set to Reunite Without Rod Stewart

The Faces will no longer wait for Rod Stewart to reunite, announcing on their website yesterday that three of the original members of the legendary British band — guitarist Ronnie Wood, drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist Ian McLagan — will team up with Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall and Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. The group is set to perform as the Faces at this year's Vintage at Goodwood festival in England on August 13th. "It's exciting to be on this path again and I hope that the Faces fans are excited as we are," Wood said in a statement. "I'm just really looking forward to seeing them this summer — bring it on!"

As Rolling Stone previously reported, the Faces, without Stewart but with Hucknall and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, reunited in October 2009 to perform at London's Royal Albert Hall. (Wyman, who will be replaced by Matlock, filled in for Faces bassist Ronnie Lane, who passed away in 1997.) In 2008, a Faces reunion with Stewart nearly took place: the group rehearsed to see if they "still remember[ed] the songs." But Stewart quickly quashed reunion talk by saying there would be no Faces concerts in 2009 as he was busy with other commitments. After the Royal Albert Hall gig, Wood, Jones and McLagan all expressed a desire to keep the reunion going, with or without Stewart.

"The timing is just right, we can feel the excitement and we cannot wait to be back on stage playing to a live audience again," Jones said in a statement. "It's going to be lots of fun." In an interview with the BBC, Wood also revealed that the band is in talks to bring special guests out on stage, including Noel Gallagher, Slash and the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson. "There's loads of people that have said, 'Please, let us sing with you.'" Wood said. The newly reunited crew is currently drawing up their schedule for a tour.

Rod Stewart shocks chatshow host by making grab for his tackle read more.

Rod Stewart made a US chatshow host gasp in shock - by making a grab for his tackle.

Cheeky Rod suddenly reached into Conan O'Brien's lap and gave him a playful squeeze while telling a story about groupies.Flustered O'Brien jumped up from behind his desk and shouted out: “Whoa! What the hell was that? You ran way up there!”

But giggling Rod didn't seem at all bothered and carried on with his story - moaning O'Brien had distracted him. He complained: “I've lost my thread now.”

And Rod even pretended to grab O'Brien again at the end of the show after he had performed.

Singing legend Rod Stewart performs the soul classic 'It's The Same Old Song' on GMTV

Singing legend Rod Stewart performs the soul classic 'It's The Same Old Song' on GMTV

Susan Boyle shy around Rod Stewart while recording Haiti charity single

Susan Boyle was severely on edge when she went into the studio to add her vocal track to Simon Cowell’s Haiti charity single due to the presence of her idol Rod Stewart . Jam reports that the “Britain’s Got Talent” star met the “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” hitmaker just as she was about to add her vocal contribution to R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts,” the celebrity cover single which the American Idol/X-Factor star organized to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims.

The “YouTube” sensation admitted to being shy around the “American Songbook” superstar but managed to overcome her anxiety and successfully lay down her vocals.The Scottish singing sensation says she was honoured to be given the opportunity by Cowell to participate in the project.The “Wild Horses” hitmaker says, "There's devastation, which is awful to look at, but you can't sit back and do nothing. I'm glad that Simon gave me the opportunity to be involved in this wonderful cause."

Along with Stewart and Boyle, celebrity superstars include Canadian crooner Michael Buble, Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams,and Cheryl Cole are among the stars also singing on the charity record

Take on soul to Rod Stewart

If you are going to get a copy of Rod Stewart' new CD, Soulbook, and I highly recommend you do, please make sure you read his liner notes on the sleeve before you listen to even the very first cut. He makes such a heartfelt introduction to the album.
Rod says: “This is the album I have waited my whole life to record. These are the songs that I’ve danced to, made love to, cried to and yes, even fell on the floor to as a young man in the infancy of my career. These songs and singers were the oxygen that fueled my passion to sing…”
Those songs may have also given us the passion but only a lucky few from among us ended up singing them on the stage. Otherwise though, what Stewart says truly holds true for most of us who also grew up during that time. That was when the beautiful, strangely new sound of Motown and other soul labels woke us up to the pop appeal of Black America’s music.
Rod has done the oldies before and I do consider his Great American Songbook series landmark recordings. Who would have thought it would be the Maggie May rocker who would put a new spin to those classics? And he did. Wonderfully so! Rod could have gone on doing the same for a lifetime. The treasure trove of American hits has no limits. But he has instead chosen to give us something new to enjoy. It is soul and he is singing the songs we love to remember.
I think Rod missed out on having something by The Supremes, think Baby Love or Aretha Franklin, Chain Of Fools would have been perfect. But from the way the CD plays, he certainly did very nicely in choosing e tunes he could do justice to. I believe that is what counts most when doing albums like this one. Don’t touch the song if you cannot do it well.
Here’s the line up: It’s The Same Old Song from The Four Tops; My Cherie Amour featuring original artist and creator Stevie Wonder on the harmonica; You Make Me Feel Brand New by the Stylistics as a duet with Mary J. Blige. I didn’t know she could sing like this!; (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher by Rita Coolidge; Tracks Of My Tears featuring also the creator and original artist Smokey Robinson.
Let It Be Me, a bit of country from The Everly Brothers as a duet with Jennifer Hudson who sounds magnificent; Rainy Night in Georgia by Brook Benton; What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin; Love Train, the No. 1 seller from The O’Jays; You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me by The Miracles; Wonderful World by Sam Cook; If You Don’t Know Me By Now by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes; and Just My Imagination by The Temptations.
I have always thought Michael McDonald, another rocker, remember, the guy was a Doobie Brother, did the best remake of this type of songs in his Motown series. Vocally and arrangement by arrangement, his version still ranks high, but Rod’s Soulbook has a lushness of tone that is almost magnetic. This, I believe, is what took the songs out of the nostalgia circuit and brought the album into the present time.
I thought only one guy could have thought of this approach, Clive Davis, who was responsible for Rod’s Great American Songbook. Besides, the label is J Records, and that is Davis’. Clive remains big boss of J, but what do you know, listed as producers are Steve Jordan and Steve Tyrell. I checked out Jordan and it turns out he is a famous producer, drummer plus other things who has worked with Keith Richards, John Mayer and other big names. Tyrell, who was in town last year, is a well known producer and vocalist. With these two at the helm I am not surprised Soulbook turned out so well.
But of course, this CD is really about Rod Stewart. The guy is a superb interpreter and he so loves what he does, you can almost hear the smile in his heart for every song.