Keith Richards on Crosseyed Heart, his first new solo album in almost 25 years

Keith Richards had just picked up a pack of cigarettes from the coffee table in front of him, skilfully removed the cellophane and fired up the first of a string of smokes while talking about Crosseyed Heart, his first solo album in nearly 25 years and a rare venture away from his musical identity as guitarist, songwriter and periodic lead singer with The Rolling Stones. Despite having been finished for about 18 months, the album will finally be released this month.

“I’ve been on this [The Rolling Stones’ Zip Code] tour, and that’s numero uno – the gig,” Richards, 71, says good-naturedly while sitting on a sofa in his manager’s office.

But now that the Stones are between tours, Richards’ wait can end. The album was released on Friday, and he’s eyeing the possibility of solo shows this autumn, maybe even a short tour now that the Stones’ next round of shows, in South America, has been pushed from October and November into January. Richards says the Stones plan to record a new album after the end of the tour.

 Richards started working on what would become Crosseyed Heart in 2011, about the time his autobiography, Life, was becoming an international bestseller.

 “The book was the hardest thing I ever did in my life,” says Richards, shaking his head. “And you think the record world is bad? The book world is incredible. They’ve been at it longer.”