The Rolling Stones‘ new album of blues covers, ‘Blue & Lonesome’, is out today (December 2), NME reports.

‘Blue & Lonesome’ was recorded in just three days at British Grove Studios in west London and sees the band return to “their roots and the passion for blues music”.

The 12-track album features covers of songs by Jimmy Reed, Willie Dixon, Eddie Taylor and Howlin’ Wolf. It sees the band joined on record by touring members Darryl Jones (bass), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Matt Clifford (keyboards). Eric Clapton also features on two tracks.

Co-producer Don Was says of the record: “This album is manifest testament to the purity of their love for making music, and the blues is, for the Stones, the fountainhead of everything they do.”

Ronnie Wood broke news that the Rolling Stones would begin recording a new album in December last year (2015).

Wood later revealed that the band went on “a blues streak” in the recording studio. “They really sound authentic,” Wood said of the band’s recordings in April. “We went in to cut some new songs, which we did. But we got on a blues streak. We cut 11 blues in two days… When we heard them back after not hearing them for a couple of months, we were, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘It’s you.’ It sounded so authentic.” v