The Rolling Stones: New album with 'blues streak' coming by end of 2016

Ronnie Wood said the new tracks 'really sound authentic'

The Rolling Stones at the debut of Exhibitionism (Getty)

With Exhibitionism underway and having just played a ‘historical’ date in Cuba, The Rolling Stones look set on releasing the long-awaited follow-up to 2005’s A Bigger Bang.

According to Ronnie Wood, the band recently spent a few days in the studio, recording a mixture of blues covers and originals.

“We went in to cut some new songs, which we did,” he told The Associated Press. “But we got on a blues streak. We cut 11 blues in two days. They are extremely great cover versions of “Howlin’ Wolf” and “Little Walter”, among other blues people. But they really sound authentic.

“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.”

Speaking at the group’s London installation Exhibitionism, based at the Saatchi Gallery, Wood added that the album could arrive later “this year”.

Fellow band member Keith Richards was slightly less forward about an upcoming album, saying: "There's one coming. I can't say no more. My lips are sealed."

The Rolling Stones recently made headlines when they performed in Cuba, claiming to be the first major Western band to play the festival since a ban was lifted over a decade ago. However, the claim was quickly disputed by the Manic Street Preachers, who noted they played in the country 15 years ago.