The Black Crowes - Warpaint
February 29th, 2008 | 6:00 pm est |
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 they years start to pile up, once hunger and ambition starts 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 lead the band 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 Mark Ford — before they buckled down to record their seventh album, 2008’s Warpaint. All that turmoil and trouble is felt on Warpaint, as are the years the band spent paying dues on the jam-band circuit after Amorica. Warpaint shows that decade of hard struggle gave the band 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 Moneymaker 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 has, as the group has turned from reckless ruffians to seasoned veterans, with all their 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 Rev Charlie Jackson’s “God’s Got It” into a heavy heavy backwoods stop, then spinning the closing “Oh Mule” into a roiling blues raga that. These are the turns and tricks of veterans, who can slide these flourishes into their signature sound without calling attention to their changeup, 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 so 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 not only is 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.
thanks for giving this hard working and awesome band such a great review…..they do have their OWN SOUND and it has evolved with new blood (Luther) and their own craftsmanship.
hope others give Warpaint a spin and find it a ” true classic Rock album” and mayabe become a new Crowes fan in the process
peace,
tncrowe
While I believe that “Three Snakes and One Charm” was a wonderful album, it is good to see such a strong set out of this band. The Crowes blew me away with “Shake…” and I feel that they may be the last true great American Rock band. If you have not seen them live, DO IT!!!
No matter what any reviewer writes, whether it be from Maxim to Rolling Stone and back again, the facts are inevitable. This album will stiff like every release since “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion.”
Every album since “Shake Your Moneymaker” sold half of what its preceding album sold.
I like Erlewine’s quote, “Young bands yearning to be old tend to stumble when they years start to pile up, once hunger and ambition starts to fade into the ceaseless grind of the road, and the Crowes were no exception.” That’s a nice way to say, “They used to be really nice guys but now they’re just a bunch of dicks.”
They bought into their own hype, and that killed them. They need artistic direction. Someone get George Drakoulius on the phone.
I have always believed album sales mean nothing - if they did it would discount the brilliance of artists such as the Bottle Rockets and Frank Zappa, to name just the tip of the tip of the iceburg. The Crowes may not be the most frward thinking band, but they certainly do their niche well, which is just plain old fun rock and roll. Worrying if a fickle McMusic audience is going to care is career suicide…one must be true to oneselves.
Look at Santana - he sold his soul to Clive Davis, and reaped rewards that his career and talent deserves, but he will not be remembered for ‘Smooth’. It was the equivalant of a lifetime acheivement award.
It’s George Drakoulias.
If The Black Crowes are a bunch of dicks it must be a case of takes one to know one.
Other examples of sales not being any indication of worth would be The Velvet Underground, MC5 and The Stooges.
I’ll at least listen to “Warpaint” before I judge/review it.
My experience has been Erlewine is usually dead on.
Finally, the Crowes get their due. I can’t wait to hear this album when it gets released on Tuesday. I’ve been a big Crowes fan ever since Shake Your Money Maker, and was completely reeled in by Southern Harmony & Musical Companion. They remind of Rod Stewart & the Faces in their heyday and The Rolling Stones during the Mick Taylor years. Great chops on guitar, great vocals and singable lyrics. If you haven’t yet been able check them out live, they are definitely worth seeing! In this day of rap, hip hop and bubble gum pop dominating the charts and awards shows it’s a welcome aural pleasure to listen a great rock ‘n’ roll band like the Black Crowes!
I have been listening to the Crowes since the release of their first album. Though I also appreciate Erlewine’s evaluations, I have always thought “By Your Side” was a great album and ranked with the first two as their best. If you haven’t seen or heard them live, be sure to check out their releases on Instant Live - true greatness (especially the Texas run in ‘06). I find the Instant Live recordings superior to the official live album. The Fog DVD captures them well too.
I saw the Crowes live in 2005 at Sat In Park in Sioux City, Iowa
and they were quite good. The Crowes are an American rock band: Nothing more, nothing less. They have good nights and bad nights,as do all other bands. At the end of the day, they are still a fine band. They’re real, and that’s more than you can say for the majority of the pathetic posers trying to pass as rock bands in this day and age.