The Black Crowes Are Flying High Again

The Black Crowes have always made great music, both live and on record, but their offstage lives have sometimes been a bit less harmonious.  Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson often clashed throughout the years, and they've disbanded the group more than once, including an acrimonious split in 2015. Despite their disagreements, both Robinson brothers continued to create new music with solo projects, and in 2019 they finally resolved their differences and resurrected The Black Crowes. Since then, the band has toured extensively, recorded live albums, and earlier this year the group released Happiness Bastards, their first disc of new material since 2009. It's a fantastic record, steeped in that signature Crowes vibe, melding rock, soul and the blues, amply displayed on terrific songs such as "Wanting and Waiting," and "Cross Your Fingers."

The track list on Happiness Bastards includes down and dirty rockers like "Rats and Clowns" and "Dirty Cold Sun," which evoke the sound of Exile on Main Street era Stones, filtered through the Southern rock and soul grooves that are the Crowes trademark. Long-time devotees of the band will dig tunes like "Bedside Manners," and "Bleed It Dry," as well as the anthemic "Kindred Friend" and the lovely "Wilted Rose," which features country singer Lainey Wilson on vocals. The Robinson brothers are at the top of their game, and they sound re-invigorated throughout the album, which was produced by Jay Joyce. If you're a long-time fan of  the band, Happiness Bastards is a must listen.

I had the chance to check out the group at Mohegan Sun this past October, and it was an excellent show. I've seen the Crowes several times in the past, and they are always superb live, but this performance was positively exultant. In addition to classic tracks like "Jealous Again" and "Thorn In My Pride" and a healthy selection of tracks from Happiness Bastards, the group played several cover tunes, including a masterful version of The Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin" with sterling lead vocals by Rich Robinson. The entire band sounded great, and it's clear that the Robinson brothers really enjoy playing together again. It looks like The Black Crowes are here to stay, and I 'm hopeful that we'll be getting more new music and live shows from the Crowes for many years to come. Here's a link to "Dirty Cold Sun," one of my favorite tracks on Happiness Bastards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEZ439nN2yE.