The opening guitar riffs sound like they belong on the classic "Exile On Main Street." Bass and drums kick in, and that's it - no orchestration, no slick production. And the singer still belts it out with the chutzpah of a man one-third of his age.

I never thought I'd say this again, but the Rolling Stones are back, baby!

In anticipation of their coming appearance at PNC Park, I picked up their brand-new album, "A Bigger Bang" (or, as it's listed on the cover, "therollingstonesabiggerbang"). I put it on as soon as I got home, and about midway through the first track, "Rough Justice," I ran into the other room to tell my wife:

"This Rolling Stones album actually sounds like the Rolling Stones!"

I'll admit, I've been somewhat prejudiced against the guys' new releases since they burned me with "Emotional Rescue," the follow-up to the superior "Some Girls" that they foisted on us in the summer of 1980. It got no better for the Stones that decade (did it for anyone?), nor the one after.

But here they are again, practically senior citizens, with material that truly recalls their glory days.

"A Bigger Bang" kicks off with a triple dose of old-school rockers - "Let Me Down Slow" and "It Won't Take Long" are the other two songs - before "Rain Falls Down" kicks in with a danceable beat (recalling the underrated "Black and Blue" era). A ballad, "Streets of Love," follows, then a very rootsy "Back of My Hand," demonstrating how adept the Stones are at playing the blues.

Mixing it up again, "She Saw My Coming" puts some sly lyrics to a reggae beat, and "Biggest Mistake" has some influence from Motown. "This Place Is Empty" slows it down again, and "Oh No, Not You Again" gets back to rocking out, along the lines of "Lies," one of the lesser-known but standout tracks on "Some Girls."

And still there's more ... "Dangerous Beauty" is driven by a riff that reflects its subject matter. "Laugh, I Nearly Died" is another ballad, and "Look What the Cat Dragged In" features a dance beat driving some very catchy guitar playing by Keith Richards and Ron Wood (yes, they can still do it!). "Driving Too Fast" is another rocker, and Keith closes the album by singing a song with a title that seems appropriate: "Infamy."

Oh, yeah, then there's Track No. 13, "Sweet Neo Con," which takes a jab at either Mr. Bush (which Mick Jagger denies) or his followers. Check out these lyrics: "But one thing that is certain/Life is good at Halliburton/If you're really so astute/You should invest in Brown and Root." In case you guitarists are interested, the song has a simple chord structure: A minor and G on the main verses; E-D-C-D-G on the chorus. And the lyrics are printed on the jacket, so it's easy to learn.

I hope the Stones trot out a lot of the new stuff at PNC Park. I mean, I won't mind hearing "Jumping Jack Flash" for the millionth time. But if they want to dig deeply into "A Bigger Bang," I'm all for it!