Freshly split from the hard-edged Jeff Beck Group and about to join the anarchic Faces, Rod Stewart rocked out on his solo debut, but did so largely with the backing of acoustic instruments, reinventing songs like the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" and Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" with an appealing mix of rootsy, bluesy slide guitars and his own gravelly vocals. Backed with French horn and flutes, Mike D'Abo's "Handbags and Gladrags" has a gorgeous chamber-pop feel, and Stewart contributes five original tunes, including "Man of Constant Sorrow" and "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down" (the title track of the album's original English edition). Clocking in at only 33 minutes, The Rod Stewart Album is brief, but it's a brilliant kick-off to the singer's long and storied solo career. --Daniel Durchholz