The Black Crows
Bastards of Happiness
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March 18, 2024
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The last two albums by The Black Crowes, 2008 Warpaint and of 2009 Before the frost…Until the freeze, the former a studio set and the latter played live at the late Levon Helm's Woodstock, NY studio The Barn, found the band returning to their roots after a somewhat exploratory and relatively middling period that also saw the Robinson brothers take solo detours . After Before the frost…, Chris and Rich Robinson parted ways again, this time seemingly for good, with Chris gravitating toward hippie jam territory and releasing a solid catalog of albums with The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Rich moving on to his own solo singer-songwriter searches. They were the last albums the Robinson brothers would record as The Black Crowes until now.
Bastards of Happiness, of course, marks Chris and Rich Robinson's return to the band name that brought them fame and fortune. Compared to their last recorded work together, Bastards of Happiness it's very different. Which means it's less Americana-tinged and more a throwback to the meat and potatoes rock of the band's debut, Shake Your Money Maker. Of course, such a return can be a difficult prospect. For example, there is some real magnificence Bastards of Happinessbut there is another who can be described as leaning towards retreading.
The album opens with the furious slide guitar of “Bedside Manners”, a track that seems to sum up the history of the Black Crowes in a soulful three and a half minutes. “Rats and Clowns” is as propulsive a rocker as the Crowes have in their catalog, all sassy shake, rattle and roll. And the album's lead single 'Wanting and Waiting' is nothing short of a classic Shake Your Money Maker-Esque Black Crowes, built around a stellar guitar lick, bolstered by a short but substantial line-up of instrumentals and female vocalists, and featuring Chris Robinson's best vocals since the band's heyday.
It is worth noting that the Black Crowes may have been at their best when they combined the sublime with the upfront. The band's third album, Amoricafrom 30 years ago, it could have been the high score in this regard, and to some extent, with Bastards of Happinessechoing earlier days, the band has sacrificed some of that subtlety and nuance.
“Cross Your Fingers” opens with a gentle thump and sly slide, reminiscent of the best Amorica, but it's just a tease, the song explodes into electric funk before the first minute and continues that way until the end. The band expands its palette somewhat with guest country star Lainey Wilson on “Wilted Rose.” Wilson's harmonizing with Robinson on the choruses is one of the album's highlights. And what's more, “Flesh Wound” might be the poppiest southern rocker the boys have ever recorded, defying the listener not to get up and dance. It's the track Bastards of Happiness that most move the standard forward, and famously so.
No one would deny the fact that Chris and Rich Robinson teaming up again as The Black Crowes is monumental and I'd say it's needed. The lack of the Black Crowes in the music landscape was a huge blow. And Bastards of Happiness it's a wildly successful comeback, reminiscent of what the band sounded like at their best, thrusting them back into the forefront of American roots music that only they can write and perform. To say it may not be the band's best work is a simple understatement. The biggest shoes to fill are their own, and for the most part Bastards of Happiness, Chris and Rich Robinson acquit themselves wonderfully. The biggest plus may be that this is definitely not a band whose best days are behind them. One can only hope for more in the future. (www.theblackcrowes.com)
Author Rating: 7/10
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