The Black Crowes Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
More memento than major statement, 2009's WarPaint Live -- available as a DVD and a two-CD set -- finds the Black Crowes running through their 2008 comeback Warpaint in its entirety during a gig in Los Angeles, adding a five-song coda of covers and Crowes classics. Warpaint was a reunion and revitalization for the Black Crowes, their best album in a long time, and much of that renewed energy can be heard in this performance, which manages to be loose and tight, the work of a band comfortable in its own skin and strength. Apart from the closing covers, highlighted by a coolly confident "Torn and Frayed" and a raucous "Hey Grandma," surprises are a bit hard to come by, but that's not a problem because the band never sounds tired; they're engaged, so it's hard not to be swept up in their enthusiasm too. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Looking back, it seems inevitable that the Black Crowes would suffer a rocky middle age. Young bands yearning to be old tend to stumble when the years start to pile up, once hunger and ambition start to fade into the ceaseless grind of the road, and the Crowes were no exception. After they mapped out the furthest reaches of their world on 1994's Amorica they slowly spun their tires, turning out records both respectable and tired, before internal tensions slowly tore the brothers Robinson apart, leading to a split in 2002, not long after the release of their sixth album, Lions. A few years of solo wanderings led the Crowes to a reunion in 2005, but they had to go through a few more lineup changes -- including the addition of North Mississippi Allstar Luther Dickinson as the replacement for guitarist Marc Ford -- before they buckled down to record their seventh album, 2008's Warpaint. All that turmoil and trouble are felt on Warpaint, as are the years the band spent paying dues on the jam band circuit after Amorica. Warpaint shows that the decade of hard struggle gave the Crowes soul and chops, turning them into the band they've always wanted to be. The Black Crowes haven't changed their basic sound -- ever since Shake Your Money Maker the band has always drawn deeply from the Stones and Faces, tempering that British swagger with Southern-fried blues borrowed from the Allmans, then slowly threading hippie mysticism throughout -- but the feel of the band has changed, as the Crowes have turned from reckless ruffians into seasoned veterans, with the group feeling lived-in and genuine. There's depth here, highlighted by an instrumental suppleness that slightly recalls Little Feat -- particularly on the slow-rolling "Oh Josephine" with its gently cascading choruses -- an evolution that could only be earned during those years on the road, building the band through nightly jams and a slow cycle of membership turnovers. This is a suppleness that has grit, thanks especially to Dickinson's glass slide runs that give this music some welcome grease. The Crowes also pull off a couple of sly moves here, weaving some swirling psychedelia through the chorus of "Movin' on Down the Line," turning the Reverend Charlie Jackson's "God's Got It" into a heavy, heavy backwoods stomp, then spinning the closing "Whoa Mule" into a roiling blues raga. These are the turns and tricks of veterans, who can slide these flourishes into their signature sound without calling attention to their changeups, but these numbers are enough of a departure to garner attention -- what may not get as much praise is how the Crowes write compellingly within their standard sound, as they do here, beginning with the opening gambit of the down'n'dirty "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution" and the crawling "Walk Believer Walk." From there, Warpaint continues to gain momentum, as this album is not only their strongest set of songs since Amorica, it has a depth and presence that is rare for a digital age creation and, best of all, the album has a true narrative thrust, making it feel like a true classic rock album. What the Black Crowes have done here is what true journeymen do: they don't renounce their past, they build upon it, finding hidden depths within it, shaping tradition after their own image to make it sound fresh. They're old-fashioned, but in the best sense: they're in it for the long haul, which the superb Warpaint proves beyond a shadow of a doubt. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Freak 'N' Roll... Into the Fog'
Release Date 9/19/2006
Tracks 19
Label Eagle
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This double-disc is essentially the audio component to the DVD of the same name released in March 2006. There are several live documents of the Black Crowes before their breakup especially, but this one shows them at their rawest, with a complete horn section and backing vocalists tearing it up at the Fillmore. It's true, one can listen to the DVDs , but if you aren't one of those people who particularly likes to watch music videos, this might be a better bet. The sound is great, and the performance is positively electric. It starts a little ragged, but that's part of the charm; by the time the band gets to "Soul Slinging" four cuts in, they are burning. Chris Robinson's deep hippie aspirations as expressed on his New Earth Mud solo album get incorporated here without the Black Crowes losing any of their fire, ferocity, or crazy, raw performance antics. Rich Robinson's playing is top-notch, as is the rest of the band's. Check cuts like "Jealous Again" or the cover of "Space Captain." Slip on disc two and get to "Non Fiction," clocking in at over ten minutes, or the closing cover version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and the belief is in the hearing. If the Black Crowes wanted to prove they were back as a band, Freak 'N' Roll...Into the Fog should be all the evidence one needs. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The title is simple, and it describes exactly what you'll get -- two discs and 19 tracks of the Black Crowes in concert, tearing through fan favorites and chart hits. The album is culled from a series of concerts the group did on their farewell 2001 tour, with Rich Robinson sequencing the entire thing to flow close to an actual concert, right down to his brother Chris' winding, sometimes embarrassing stage patter. Though this isn't as gutsy or revelatory as the dynamite live album with Jimmy Page, it's still a really good live album, finding the band in fine form -- Chris is in good voice, the band rocks hard, and the versions here, while not drastically different than the album versions, find the band stretching out where necessary. In short, it's nuthin' fancy, just what a good rock & roll band does. And the Black Crowes are certainly a good rock & roll band, with a deep catalog of strong songs and a good sound, all evident here. True, this is pretty much the province of the dedicated, but those that are devoted fans will find this to be a sweet swan song. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If the Black Crowes are anything, they are survivors (and, reportedly, if Chris Robinson had his way, he'd be a genuine survivor, appearing on CBS' genius television show with his wife Kate Hudson), weathering years of popularity and disdain, before emerging at the end of the '90s as a rarity -- a real, road-weathered rock & roll band, in the classic sense. And it wasn't just that they played classic rock -- they stayed out on the road constantly, bashing out albums when they weren't fighting record labels. By the dawn of the new millennium, there weren't many bands like that out on the market, and it was a mixed blessing -- it meant that they had an ugly breakup with their longtime label, American, but it also meant that there really wasn't anybody else for Jimmy Page to turn to when he wanted to tour in 1999. These two events inform Lions, their first album for V2 records, and their most idiosyncratic album since 1994's neglected gem, Amorica. Like that album, this record is instantly familiar, recalling many common and forgotten platters from the early '70s, yet twisted through a surprisingly individual voice from the Crowes. And, like that record, this is more about the music and the texture than the songs, which is disconcerting for anybody looking for the knockout songwriting of their first two records, or even "Stop Kicking My Heart Around." And, coming on the heels of that record, which was as tight a rock & roll album as they ever did, the diffuseness of Lions seems a bit off-kilter. Still, there's no denying that the group is stretching out and sounds terrific, and not just because Don Was is behind the boards. The group is supple, laying into jams without seeming indulgent, and rocking like a bastard when the occasion calls for it. It's just too bad that there aren't many songs to remember here. Some could argue that was the case with Amorica as well, but those never felt like excuses to play music, and the tone shifted dramatically from track to track. Here, the songs can seem incomplete, as if they got the sound of the track down, but not the structure. Still, this is a powerful, textured hard rock record that covers a lot of ground, surging from powerful riffs to gospel choruses and funkier-than-expected riffs. There are few bands of their time that could sound so versatile within the confines of hard rock, and if this doesn't really deliver memorable songs, tracks do jell on repeated plays, and the Black Crowes' kaleidoscopic vision of rock's history is reason enough to listen to this record -- even if you're left with a nagging suspicion that this could have been a knockout with some real songs in tow. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Between Shake Your Money Maker and Three Snakes and One Charm, the Black Crowes evolved from a muscular, Stonesy hard rock outfit to full-fledged modern-day Southern rockers, drawing from a wealth of blues, country, folk, and rock styles to create a sprawling, fluid sound that was simultaneously traditional and distinctive. The problem was, their loose-limbed grooves tended to connect better in concert than on record, especially since they were sacrificing songs for the sake of sound, which in turn was decreasing their audience. Aware of the situation, the Crowes went back to their roots with By Your Side. Armed with a string of concise, energetic rockers, the Crowes hit harder than they had since their debut, yet they retain the sonic detail that reared its head on Amorica, adding pianos, choirs, and scores of other flourishes throughout the record. It's a back-to-basics set performed with all of the knowledge they have gained over the years, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable record, their most satisfying and accessible effort since The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Not that it's necessarily in that league -- it lacks the parade of great songs that elevate that album above all their others -- but it does find the Crowes in lean fighting form for the first time in years, proving that they're possibly the best straight-ahead rock & roll band of the '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Amorica, the Black Crowes began developing a distinctive sound, shading their Stonesy Southern boogie with a variety of rootsy and psychedelic overtones. But where Amorica was rich with kaleidescopic colors, Three Snakes and One Charm is stripped-down and direct. Sure, it has a punchy, muscular sound that is, if anything, more eclectic than its predecessor, but the production is distressingly monotonous and the songs lack strong hooks. Even with its faults, Three Snakes and One Charm is a winning album, mainly because the Black Crowes' musicianship continues to deepen -- the musical fusions and eclecticism are seamless, particularly from lead guitarist Rich Robinson. Their musicianship would be even more impressive if the songs were equal in quality. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On Amorica, the Black Crowes finally come into their own, taking their cue from the most relaxed, groove-oriented tracks on their previous album. While the album contains no immediately obvious singles, the songs are the best the band has ever written, stretching out into a hard, jam-oriented, funky blues-rock. The Black Crowes' influences are still discernible -- no band celebrates the glory days of rock culture quite as enthusiastically -- but they use the music of the Stones, the Faces, and Little Feat much the same way the Stones used the music of Chuck Berry: it's a starting point that leads the band into a new direction, incorporating different musical genres, and making the music original. That sense of reinterpretation is what keeps Amorica fresh. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 10
Label Def American
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The addition of the more technically gifted guitarist Marc Ford and a full-time organist gives the Black Crowes room to stretch out on The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, perhaps the band's finest moment. Using Rich Robinson's descending chord progressions as a base, the band grooves its way through a remarkably fresh-sounding collection of Faces-like rockers and ballads, tearing into the material with flair and confidence and really coming into its own as a top-notch rock & roll outfit. But while the focus is undeniably on the band's musical chemistry, Southern Harmony also boasts a strong collection of songs, striking a perfect balance between the concise Shake Your Money Maker and their later, more jam-oriented records. While there aren't as many obvious singles as on their debut album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is the best expression of the Crowes' ability to take a classic, tried-and-true sound and make it their own. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Shake Your Money Maker'
Release Date 1/1/1989
Tracks 10
Label Def American
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Black Crowes' debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, may borrow heavily from the bluesy hard rock grooves of the Rolling Stones and Faces (plus a bit of classic soul), but the band gets away with it due to sharp songwriting and an ear for strong riffs and chorus melodies, not to mention the gritty, muscular rhythm guitar of Rich Robinson and brother Chris' appropriate vocal swagger. Unlike their later records, the Crowes don't really stretch out and jam that much on Money Maker, but that helps distill their virtues into a handful of memorable singles ("Jealous Again," "She Talks to Angels," a cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle"), and most of the album tracks maintain an equally high standard. Shake Your Money Maker may not be stunningly original, but it doesn't need to be; it's the most concise demonstration of the fact that the Black Crowes are a great, classic rock & roll band. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
