Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
Barring the Young brothers Malcolm and Angus in AC/DC, rock is littered with tales of warring siblings at odds in successful bands, the friction often ripping those bands apart.
The Kinks, Oasis and The Black Crowes all fell foul to the tensions of fame, fortune and a life on the road but, as with the Gallaghers, the restoration of the relationship between Chris and Rich Robinson brought both fresh life and great acclaim to the returning heroes. Certainly, 2024’s Grammy Award winning ‘Happiness Bastards’ saw Black Crowes flying high once more and signaled the start of another highly fertile chapter in their story, one that smartly-titled new album ‘A Pound Of Feathers’ builds on with no little style.
The impact made by incendiary debut ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ put the band on the world stage, setting the brothers up as a force to be reckoned with but here we are, thirty-six years later and it seems like The Black Crowes are hungrier than ever. Certainly, the quality of songwriting is as gleaming as it ever was but this new release appears to bristle with a toughness that’s raised the ante from anything they’ve done before, catching the feral side of their live shows and distilled it into the studio setting without losing the delightfully raw edges. Certainly, there’s the Stonesy swagger and Southern Rock harmonies here of old but the added grit reflects a balance between the anger that maturity brings when reflecting on the world, along with the sense of self confidence that brings a more solid base than the cockiness of youth.
The spirit of Jagger and Richards is heavy on the opening blast of ‘Profane Prophecy’ but the belligerence in the vocals and the snap of the riff adds a feral edge full of danger and excitement that the Stones seemingly left behind many years ago. It’s certainly a punchy opener and the following ‘Cruel Streak’ doesn’t let up, the ballsy blues bluster a real statement of intent. The Robinson’s know how to mix things up though and the delightful acoustic stylings of ‘Pharmacy Chronicles’ shimmers as they take their foot off the gas before slamming back in with the snotty nosed punk of ‘Do The Parasite!’.
Again, a sudden but natural diversion to the woozy desert rock of ‘High And Lonesome’ brings another highlight to the collection, the patina of soul lifting it even further, the equally great ‘Queen Of The B-Sides’ adding Country-tinged acoustic blues to the pot. Storms gather with the dark and powerful ‘Blood Red Regrets’ but pick any track here and there’s more than enough thrills to satisfy even the most exacting Crowes fan, the production touches breathing with life.
By the time that most bands get to their tenth album they’ve run out of steam but it seems that with ‘A Pound Of Feathers’ The Black Crowes haven’t just returned strongly, they’re better than ever. Eleven tracks of all killer, no filler. Damn it’s good to have them back.
Pound of Feathers is available now HERE.
Up next, the rock icons embark on their massive headlining Southern Hospitality Tour, alongside Whiskey Myers and Southall. Get tickets at theblackcrowes.com.
UK + European tour dates:
June 25 – Albert Hall, Manchester UK
June 26 – State Fayre Festival, Chelmsford, UK
June 28 – OLT Rivierenhof, Antwerp, BE
June 30 – 013, Tilburg, NL
July 1 – 013, Tilburg, NL
July 4 – Halle 622, Zurich, CH
July 5 – Ehrenhof Residenzschloss, Rastatt, DE
Southern Hospitality North American Tour Dates:
May 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center^
May 19 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP^
May 21 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena^
May 23 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheater^
May 24 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amp^
May 26 – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater^
May 27 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater^
May 30 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live^
May 31 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre^
June 2 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre*
June 4 – Augusta, GA – Bell Auditorium*
June 6 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater^
June 7 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park^
June 9 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center^
June 10 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center^
June 12 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion^
June 13 – New York, NY – Forest Hills Stadium^
June 16 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion^
June 17 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheatre^
June 19 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center^
June 20 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center^
July 17 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center^
July 18 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theater^
July 21 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre^
July 22 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater^
July 24 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre^
July 25 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater^
July 28 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater^
July 30 – Kansas City, MO – MORTON Amphitheater^
August 1 – Colorado Springs, CO – Ford Amphitheater^
August 2 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre^
August 4 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater*
August 6 – Tulsa, OK – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
August 8 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion^
August 9 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion*
August 12 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater^
August 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre^
August 15 – Phoenix, AZ – Mortgage Matchup Center^
August 17– Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Bowl-
August 19 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre^
August 20 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre^
^ With Whiskey Myers & Southall
* With Southall only
– Co-headlining show with The Black Crowes, Tedeschi Trucks & Whiskey Myers
+ Festival
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