The Black Crowes

I do love The Black Crowes.  The crest of the wave that rolled the music of the The Black Crowes into the musical mainstream peaked at the most inopportune moment and yet, somehow, after the roll and the rumble, and after being crashed and dashed all over the rocky shores of continuous radio airplay, these guys still pull their bloody carcasses up everyday to put together some timeless, tried-and-true rock and roll for you and for me.

God love ‘em (as the ladies here in Texas are akin to say) — by every right, The Black Crowes could very well have withered and faded as a mere novelty.  Their most notable album, Shake Your Money Maker (1990), was released right on the line where the aerosol of ’80s glam ran out and rock and roll dried up and put on flannel for a few years.  The makeup party and excess of the ’80s met a harsh, cynical, and sincere end with the raw grit of the grunge underground.

But the brothers, Chris and Rich Robinson, seemingly oblivious to the “new wave” (I guess), were reaching back to the blues- and folk- based distortions of the likes of The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Creedence, and even early Aerosmith. While all of us were sulking our way out of the hair bands or seeking bands to soundtrack our suburban miseries, Chris and Rich were regressing back to the ’70s, back to their roots in (what music journalists and other such folk who get their rocks off by assigning crafty little labels to particular sounds call) southern rock.

By all means, there was a market for it.  (I’m certainly aware of the strange phenomenon that occurs at the turn of a decade in which a resurgence of ’70s nostalgia seems to surface in various pockets of the popular culture, but that is another discussion for another time.)  All the same, The Black Crowes flew into the late 20th century American musical skyline in stark contrast to the dominant schema that surrounded them.  And we bought them.  Some argue for the novelty of it all — a “new, old fashioned band” (so they say).  We wanted to hang on to a piece of the past, so full of peace and happiness, as we pushed onward into the dark, depressing days of the 1990s and the future.

I disagree.

The Black Crowes are a great band.  I’ve had enough discussions and held many a tirade about how, regardless of their timing, had they of been birthed thirty years prior or thirty years after, The Black Crowes’ music would still stand.  Their catalog breathes with an ingenuity, an innovation that still pulls from the lungs of deep, steadfast musical traditions as deep as the Mississippi and the valleys of lower Appalachia.  This is American music.

Which brings me to their latest release, Before the Frost…Until the Freeze (due to be released on September 1, 2009).  The album is divided into two parts, both of which were recorded over a series of five nights at the venerable Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York.  Before the Frost will be released as an album of 11 brand new tracks, such as “I Ain’t Hiding” and “Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love),” and Until the Freeze will be available for free downloading via a code accessed on the Before the Frost album sleeve (I suppose).

A brilliant marketing strategy (if nothing else.)  “Make ‘em buy it…then give to them for free.”  Nonetheless, the free album offers nine more brand new tracks in addition to a cover of Stephen Stills’ “So Many Times” (something to be excited about, I am sure.)

However, in listening to the new single, “I Ain’t Hiding” (available for download on the website), I’m having that same stomach spin that I’m sure many of my more weathered readers remember having when The Rolling Stones released “Miss You.”  Certainly a great song, don’t get me wrong, but a significant turn of the wheel from an otherwise tried and true course.  The chorus is classic Crowes, but the verses are carried by a heavy wah-wah from Rich’s guitar and a chiming cowbell — a retro disco number that conjurs up images of Jagger in sequins, fashion models, and Hollywood cocaine cash cows.

Strange for The Black Crowes…?  Maybe.  I don’t know.  I feel an obligation to every band I’m a fan of to listen to their music as many times as it takes to dig into whatever electrical pulses are driving/inspiring their id to put out whatever sound it is they’re putting out there.  It took me months to get to U2′s Pop, and I’ve given up trying to figure out what happened to the Irish quartet since.

Where was I?  Ah yes, The Black Crowes are still finding heavy rotation in my rather masochistic listening routines, and they’ve yet to get old.  In fact, I’m still hearing brand new stuff on Three Snakes and One Charm like it was the first time.  And last year’s Warpaint was a huge swig of a delicious brew after a near seven-year dry spell.  It’s certainly a sweet refreshment to have these guys back making music and hitting the road again.

Yes!  There’s a tour!

Though the dates are subject to change (of course), here are The Black Crowes’ “Stuck Inside Utopia” tour dates: