Back to In the 1990s, the Black Crowes blew up out of Atlanta, playing classic rock in an era of alt-rock irony and grunge bellyaching. Even more impressive, the two guys at the heart of the band – singer Chris Robinson and his guitarist brother Rich – managed to complete their multi-platinum run while absolutely hating each other, like an American version of Oasis. But eventually tension between Chris and Rich forced the Crowes to close up shop.
The band released their last studio album in 2009, and the Robinson brothers took a decade to relax before reforming in 2019. In 2022, they released 1972, an EP of covers by David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, the Temptations, T. Rex, Little Feat and Rod Stewart, strongly argued that Rock Eden could be specifically traced to one year of the Nixon administration. But what is surprising Bastards of Happinesstheir first studio album together since reuniting, is how fun, energetic and decidedly not crunchy it sounds, even though the references they lean on are all about half a century old.
With its slide guitar, boogie piano and stomping beat, album opener “Bedside Manners” sounds like the Faces at a Memphis bender. Songs like “Rats and Clowns” and “Wanting and Waiting” are glam-rock with a strong downhome spirit. “Dirty Cold Sun” is a funky guitar brawl with Chris invoking the sassy disdain of “Live With Me”-era Mick Jagger. “Bleed It Dry” is Dylan-esque country-blues delivered with a growl. “Flesh Wound” sounds like mid-70s Rod Stewart if he'd made a secret record backed by Cheap Trick. Country star Lainey Wilson sings backup on “Wilted Rose,” an acoustic gospel ballad that harks back to Led Zeppelin grandeur.
The Black Crowes' last album, 2009 Before the frost…Until the freeze, was recorded in Levon Helm's barn in Woodstock, New York, and had a distinctly rustic period sound. This time, they team up with producer Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Eric Church), who has a knack for giving classical music a digital-age immediacy. “Cross Your Fingers,” a song that otherwise combines the Allman Brothers and Zeppelin, even has a brief breakdown with a gently processed beat and rap-like vocal rhythm. But whether Bastards of Happiness it works because the Robinsons are reviving the past, or just reproducing it, what matters is that they're rocking now.
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