CD: "A Bigger Bang" by the Rolling Stones; Virgin Records.

Release: Sept. 6.

Style: Rock.

My take: In the '60s, there was a band called the Rolling Stones that came to America as part of the British Invasion. Unfortunately, success eluded them. That is, unless you count selling millions of records, having your name become synonymous with the phrase "classic rock," getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and being adored by throngs of fans all over the world for two generations.

Releasing its 24th album, "A Bigger Bang," the band tries to prove it is still going strong. It is also the Stones' first original material since 1997's "Bridges to Babylon," save for four new songs on "Forty Licks," the career-spanning compilation. On "A Bigger Bang," there's no real agenda for the band; it's just a bunch of guys playing music they want to play and having a good time doing it, resulting in a solid rock record that all fans can enjoy no matter their ages.

Right from the beginning, it is evident that the eight-year gap from their last studio visit, or the fact all the band members are in their 60s, hasn't made them lose a step. They are still quick with the double entendres, evident in the album opener "Rough Justice." The next tracks are just as energetic, except for ballads such as "Streets of Love," despite being about romantic endeavors gone sour. The best of these songs is "She Saw Me Coming," which recalls being in the crosshairs of a member of the fairer sex. But the most notable material here strays from that motif.

"Dangerous Beauty" is an ode to a young dominatrix; "Rain Fall Down" centers around the singer's savior from life in a dreadful small town; and "Sweet Neo-Con" is a politically charged song targeting President Bush. Unlike most protest songs nowadays that come off as whiny and unnecessary (Eminem's "Mosh," for example), the Stones have a nice sense of conviction and purpose with every line ("Democracy's our style/Unless you are against us/ Then it's prison without trial"). Not to mention there's an underlying validity to their argument, regardless of your opinions about the president; after all, the Stones have been around through the Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton administrations.

With "A Bigger Bang," the band wasn't out to start a music revolution or change rock history, because it did that already. They tried to prove that they've still got it, and they do, even more than a lot of bands out there today. The album also helps prolong the Stones' legacy and entertain their fans, and will possibly gain them some new ones.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College and the editor of the college's newspaper, Ka 'Ohana.