First of all, I would like to thank Brandon and Lane for allowing me this space on their brilliant page to review the latest work from the famed, if not fabled, Black Crowes. I say famed because they once saw fame with the help of the Otis Redding tune "Hard to Handle." I say fabled because a lot of people think that that's all the work they've done!
The Black Crowes are back and in full force. Vocalist Chris Robinson, guitarist/brother Rich Robinson, Keyboardist Ed Harsch, drummer Steve Gorman, new bassist Sven Pippien and new guitarist Audley Freed have finally returned to reclaim the rock crown that was taken from them when Nirvana broke the music scene wide open and somehow made rock music uncool even though they were a rock band themselves.
Someone out of the loop who knows the Crowes for "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels" from their multi-platinum debut Shake Your Moneymaker album, might ask ..."Where've they been all these years?" The sorry truth is that they have done three other masterful albums , a documentary video, and a box set ('98's Sho 'Nuff, also the name of their club tour) of their first four albums that also includes unreleased tracks and a live CD.
A brief history:
Not much needs to be said about the Crowes first album that hasn't already been said a thousand times. It was a commercial success that made the Crowes a household name for a couple of years. Then the band decided that they wanted to grow and experiment. Of course, with any experiment, you may lose some fans along the way. The Crowes lost quite a few as they refused to record Moneymaker over and over again, but instead, progressed into a cult favorite band. They became the band that stopped selling albums, but sold out everywhere they played.
1992's sophomore effort, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, saw the band trying to inch away from the Rolling Stones-esque sound that they displayed on Moneymaker for an even rootsier blues overload. On standout tracks such as "No Speak No Slave" and "My Morning Song" as well as the semi-hit "Remedy", the Crowes proved something that a lot of bands, still to this day, cannot ... they are a full fledged rock and roll band, widely outspoken and not ashamed of their influences. Around this time, the Crowes also brought it upon themselves to help make marijuana cool again. This immediately made them a gimmick band. Every time you heard their name, a pot joke was not far behind. There could not be an article or interview without the pot references. Their drug use has, more often than not, overshadowed their musical prowess and abilities. People don't know them for their powerful, soulful ballad "Sometimes Salvation" or their walking blues tune "Hotel Illness." They know them as burnouts who did "Hard to Handle."
In 1994, the Crowes returned with a darker, stranger sound on their best album to date, Amorica. There was some serious turmoil in the band. The cliched feud between vocalist Chris Robinson and his brother, guitarist Rich, went one step further with violent brawls and seperate tour buses. The rest of the band felt the wrath and were miserable. This was evident on Amorica, as most of the songs were pitch black and less rock. At the time, misery was the best thing going in music. Many a band made a pretty penny off of misery, so it's surprising that this album undersold their previous two. On heartache-saturated songs like "Ballad in Urgency" and "Descending," it seemed as if they had all reached the end of their rope. In "Ballad ...", Chris yearns to be set free, which was disheartening to a true fan. The toils of the road were the topic of their Swan Song (in my opinion) "Wiser Time." Pedal steel guitarist Bruce Kaphan (of the now-defunct American Music Club) sat in on the track. His playing gave you a bellyfull of sorrow and then-guitarist Marc Ford gave a solo that will to this day well up the tears in my eyes. The emotion that these guys were feeling while recording this album can be felt by the listener. And it is one hell of a ride.
The band had a little meeting of the minds and decided that they would rather be in the Black Crowes than NOT be in the Black Crowes. So they worked out their differences and came back with a more positive and horribly overlooked fourth album, '97's Three Snakes and One Charm. The album title said it all: the first three albums bit you, but this one will charm you. And it certainly does. This album went over well with the hippie crowd, which was kind of upsetting. The band headlined the Furthur Festival in support of this album and they looked out of their element. Chris didn't seem even remotely interested in playing, which was a shame because a full-strength Crowes show is not to be missed. And though this was a much more positive album than Amorica, they once again did not look happy.
After the Furthur Festival, the band dropped out of sight for another year. Reports that original bassist Johnny Colt had left the band, as well as Ford, began to circulate and I felt my heart begin to sink. I felt as if my band was about to break up. It's kind of like losing your first love; the love you thought would never leave you and would always be there through the thick and thin. When you couldn't love anyone else, you could still love the Black Crowes. Would I lose my one true love?
That answer, at press time anyway, is NO!!!! The Crowes are back with a new bassist, Pippien, and now confirmed new guitarist, Audley Freed, who traveled with the band on the Sho' Nuff tour.
The new album, the "you doubted us?" titled By Your Side, is the band's first monster step at regaining the mainstream crowd. The band appears to be getting back to their roots on this one as the album reflects their first two albums greatly. Out to prove that they are not one hit wonders, they are not a flash in the pan, and yes, they can still hang with the big dogs, the Crowes come back with a satisfying and surprising fifth album. I am in love with it, I'm not afraid to say. There have been cries of "Sell Out" surrounding this album. But, to quote my friend Jimmy, what a lot of people neglect to remember is that this is a job. These guys have families and....dogs to take care of, for God sake! Is it wrong to want to make a buck? Do you feel guilty picking up your paycheck?
And now, after that long-winded history of the band, is my summation of the new album. Ladies and Gentlemen, By Your Side:
1. Go Faster
In typical Crowes fashion, they open the album with an uptempo rocker. They've only strayed from that formula once, on Three Snakes. That was their least successful album to date, too. Coincidence? I think not! "Go Faster" is a tale of sex, plain and simple. Robinson reveals that if you slow down, he will outlast you. That man has stamina. And with lyrics like "I don't think it's diseased/but it sure is sore," it promises for a rollicking time. A solid rating of 8.
2. Kickin' My Heart Around
Another formula that the Crowes have stuck to over the years is to release their second song on the album as their first single. They have done so on every album to date. This album is no different. This could be the song to rid them of the "one hit wonder" tagline, as rock stations all over the country are playing the Sam Hell out of this track. It is charting on Billboard's Rock Chart in grand fashion. The band has a full fledged hit on their hands. This is their hardest rocking song since "No Speak No Slave," from Southern Harmony. Rich Robinson brings back the sorely missed slide guitar with which he tears the listener a new asshole. The chorus is thick and warm with the ethnic voices of Curtis and Brenda White King, Cindy Mizelle, Tawatha Agee and Vanees Thomas, giving it a truly relgious feeling, even though the song is about ending love on a sour note. Rating: 9
3. By Your Side
The critics are already screaming comparisons of this song to the Stones "Tumbling Dice." Granted, the comparison is great, but the Crowes take "By Your Side" in a direction that "Tumbling Dice" never dreamed of going. It's as if Angus Young decided to drop by halfway through the song and point Keith Richards to the door. Lyrically, this song sounds like and oath of devotion to a lover, but as Chris said when Lane and I saw him in Ft. Wayne, IN recently, it's for the fans. God bless us all. Rating: 8
4. Horsehead
One of two tracks on the album that delves into the band's religious beliefs. This track could've easily eked its way onto Amorica. Reverend Robinson points implores you to watch the hole that Horsehead has dug in front of you and remember that "Jesus gave until he died." The choir returns to give this song a HUGE sounding chorus. A perfect 10.
5. Only a Fool
Has potential to be another hit for the Crowes. This one reeks of Top 40 radio. Our local AAA station has already picked it up. Gonna be huge! Very Motown, with the choir and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band backing them up. A great song. Rating: 8
6. Heavy
A tribute to loving a mean woman. We all have loved one, right guys? This song is...gulp...bouncy! Radio friendly as well. Rich Robinson gives one of the best guitar solos of the decade. It's not flashy, but it is effective and gives a relatively hokey song an edge. Rating: 7 (would've been a 5, but, oh that solo!)
7. Welcome to the Goodtimes
This song has already found a special place in my heart. The positivity of the new Crowes is overwhelming thanks to tracks like this one. When life is weighing you down and you think that things will never look back up for you, just remember that as long as you have your friends, you will never be alone. "The tables will surely turn for you some day." Words to live by. Rating: 9
8. Go Tell the Congregation
The Crowes are Pro-Church. That's all well and good, but not even God can save this track. This track is so bad. I am an avid pro wrestling fan and this song is so awful that it could be the entrance music for the guy who gets paid to be the loser every week. I would say that this would be a better B-side, but even their B-sides are better than this floater. Rating: 1...because there are no zeros in this article.
9. Diamond Ring
"Baby, baby say I do/And I'll spend my life with you." This one left me scratching my head at first. Have these guys gone totally soft? This song incredibly sappy...but I really like it. I almost feel guilty for liking it, thus proving that the Crowes can also write great pop songs. To quote Homer Simpson: "Rock Stars. Is there anything they don't know?" Rating: 7
10. Then She Said My Name
FACES!!!! The band resurrects the long lost spirit of Rod Stewart. Yeah, I know he is still alive, but at one time he was so much more than he is now. He had flair and soul and was everything the LV should be. Now he has a vagina. Still, a fantastic song. Rating: 8
11. Virtue and Vice
A very haunting track. Pippien's bass cuts a trenchlike groove in this one, as he adds a little fuzz and defines his position more than Colt ever did. This one revolves around a couple working out their problems, but knowing that in the end, everything will be alright. More positivity. The band has done a total 360. Along with "Horsehead," this one also gets a perfect 10. Chris pleads with the lover to tell him everything will be alright, displaying that vulnerable feeling that everyone feels during a spat. It gets into your soul and digs up the emotions and memories that you sometimes don't want to remember. Very powerful and brilliant.
Average score: 8
A solid album. Run your scrawny little patooties to your local independent record store and pick up By Your Side. It is for a worthy cause after all - World Domination.
--Ryan Mason