FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1999. All Rights Reserved
| CD Review by Mary-Lynn McEwen THE BLACK CROWES • Fifth album by Atlanta’s "The World’s Most Rock ’N’ Roll Rock ’N’ Roll Band" is their Columbia Records debut. • Rich Robinson has taken over all the guitar duties and a new bassist, Johnny Colt, has been added to the Southern sound. Eeeww, purty, purty white costumes surrounded by an ever so mystical astrology motif. Groovy trip on the cover, guys, sort of like something the Stones would have dreamed up during the period when they were converting Mick Taylor from vegetarianism to heroinism. And the music, that’s kinda there, too, eh? No surprises with the Southern fried riffs and big danglin’ organ lines soaked up in smooth Hammond bliss, all sautéed in Stones’ blue soup. Oh, yeah, and just like the big guys, you’ve gone through your Ds, haven’t you? Drugs, divorce, departures and a general descent into madness. Life Hoovers, doesn’t it, guys? Boo hoo. Such standard fare like "Kickin’ My Heart Around" about (surprise!) love that turned rancid. Then there’s "Horsehead" about heroin addiction – really new territory for rockers. Oh, yeah, and some songs about good times and goin’ faster. You want to sneer out of spite and pity. You want to sneer, but... shit, songs this seamless, riffs this meaty, lyrics this directly nothing, they are so appealing to a rock slut such as myself. It’s hard for a rock ’n’ roll band not to be a rock ’n’ roll band. 4/5 |
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