My favorite Black Crowes member has always been drummer Steve Gorman. Having seen the band live over 30 to 40 times, I can attest to Gorman's ability to drive each and every song with John Bonham like power and precision. So I wasn't taking his absence from the recording of the first new Crowes album in 15 years lightly.
I have now listened to "Happiness Bastards" three times, three different ways. First as advance files off my iPod and through my stereo. I enjoyed it. The second time with headphones on Amazon Music Unlimited. I enjoyed it even more. And then the vinyl arrived. I love this record. And I love you, Steve Gorman, but Brian Griffin is just fine here.
"Bedside Manners" is a nice opener, kicking things off with the type of Stones meets Faces rock and roll the Crowes have been doing for years. Nothing groundbreaking, but ain't nothing wrong with it either! ***
"Rats & Clowns" reminds me too much of "Lickin'" from "Lions." I never liked "Lickin'," with its choppy rhythm and Chris barking as opposed to singing, but the guitar break is a killer, taking a page from the best of AC/DC's early records, and it saved the song for me. **1/2
"Cross Your Fingers" was the second single and I love it just as much now as I did when it was first released. This feels a lot like Led Zeppelin in all the best ways. A really greasey groove. ****
"Wanting & Waiting" was the first single, and I dug it less than the second single, because I couldn't get around the lazy rip of "Jealous Again"...until now. The riff is unbeatable, and those handclaps into the backing vocals before the chorus are to die for. This is great record making. ****
"Wilted Rose" features country sensation Lainey Wilson and it is a solid ballad that is a wonderful way to end Side One. Big instrumental break. ***
"Dirty Cold Sun" explodes off the grooves! I haven't danced around this much in years. This is 3 minutes of fire, Zep and Faces meets Funkadelic. This one is a monster. *****
"Bleed It Dry" is a terrific, sloppy blues that feels like it came out of the "Exile On Main Street" sessions. ***1/2
"Flesh Wound" is weird territory for the Brothers Robinson. Maybe this is all in my head, but if you toned everything down, removed the distortion off the guitars, made the production a tad softer, the melodies and harmonies remind me of something off of "Help" or "Rubber Soul." Def a 60's psych thing happening. I don't love this track. **
"Follow The Moon" has a killer riff but the song doesn't go anywhere. I imagine this is what non-Crowes fans think all of their music sounds like. Still, not terrible. Just that I've heard it before. **1/2
"Kindred Friend" opens up like a Neil Young "Harvest"-era track, and breezes along, though the melody, or maybe it is the way Chris is singing the melody, seems forced. "Wilted Rose" is the better ballad. **1/2
"Happiness Bastards" is a worthy comeback, with at least half of the record rivaling The Black Crowes' best work. I'm happy to have it and after a few spins, I still want more. That's a good sign.
I'm giving it ****, which ranks it higher on my Crowes list than "Amorica," "Lions," "Warpaint," and "Before The frost...Until the Freeze."
10 comments:
I wasn't expecting too much after 15 years, but I like what I've heard, and that's a good review.
I missed the deadline to comment on "It Goes Into Your Mind", but that was another fine piece! It's very vivid, I felt like I was on a stoop watching it all go down.
I don't know if you take your show on the road these days, but VinylCon in Philly next month is looking for dealers:
https://www.thevinylcon.com
Rockin' for sure.
Glad you are enjoying this! I haven't spent as much time with HB as you have but so far, so good. Rich in particular shines here; riff after riff.
I am going to see them next month at Radio City. Curious to see what the setlist will be now that they aren't contractually obligated to play Money Maker from start to finish.
Excellent review ... I like reviews like this that go song-by-song as opposed to talking too much about the band itself, or even the overall album. As much as I'm an album guy, we listen to songs one at a time. So thank you.
Based on all the drama with the band in the last 15 years, and the concurrent decline in guitar-based rock (at least in any type of radio or mainstream way), I sure wouldn't have expected anything this good.
Well done, Crowes.
I'm with ya. I love this record. I wanna spend more time with it when I have nothing else to think about BUT this, but I love it.
I can't even believe this band is back. That very fact alone makes me happy. And with a record this good???
Those definitely don’t sound like a band phoning it in.😎
Very nice.
I am a casual Crowes fan. The only album I would say really clicked with me was "By Your Side". The rest of my Crowes library consists of cherry-picked cuts from the rest of the albums. That said, Chris Robinson is one of my favorite vocalists. The issue with me has always been the material. Not that it's bad, it's just that I don't connect with most of it. But when the first 2 cuts from the new album were released, my ears perked up. I thought "Wanting & Waiting" was fantastic, even with the "Jealous Again" rip and "Cross Your FIngers" was phenomenal. So when the album was released, I dove in, and the water was great. So much good stuff, capped off by the unbelievable "Dirty Cold Sun". I now like 2 Black Crowes albums.
gorman is currently in a trio -the bag men- with luther dickinson & nick govrik (trigger hippy)...the latter band s still in action as well
Done! :)
The Crowes played a show last week in Brooklyn to showcase the new album. It was filmed/streamed on Amazon. Four songs from HB, a Bowie cover and then the hits.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1RR5nmaZ1A
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