Riding the wave of critical and commercial success of "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion," the Black Crowes, after a tour towards the end of 1993, returned to the studio and produced another great album: Amorica. This record was recorded in just 4 weeks, and it is clear that the Crowes are in top form, just as much if not more than in the previous "The Southern Harmony...". Introducing the album quickly makes one say: if you're looking for novelty or stylistic changes, you won't find them. Everything is as already said and written for the previous album. However, in the opinion of the writer, this is not a limitation at all; rather, it allows them to (re)present themselves as a solid and capable Rock Band. I think I can say that there is absolutely no need to do "new things" or special things if you're already skilled in crafting albums that have their own life and that, when listened to again, are always pleasant and engaging. To be fair, this album contains songs much less "radio-friendly" than the previous one. The Crowes, as already mentioned, draw inspiration from the Stones, Zep, Allman Bros, but perhaps this is their album that most lives on its own where the influences are there, but where the Crows get closer to the idea of a mature band that knows and doesn't want to just limit itself to mimicking and elaborating classical lessons.
The album opens with "Gone," truly dirty with the sound of the magical decade for Rock music ('70s). The song number 2, "A Conspiracy," is beautiful, made memorable by the use of the wah-wah and the hoarse but melodic and sweet voice at the same time of Chris Robinson, who proves to be in excellent form throughout the album. The following track, "High Head Blues," is appreciated for its decidedly groovy and soulful overtones. We continue with an inspired Ballad, "Cursed Diamond," with a very introspective and almost desperate atmosphere, as seen in the lyrics. In this album, there is the official presence of a keyboardist for the first time, who successfully contributes to the arrangement of splendid tracks such as "NonFiction" and "She Gave good Sunflower." In the following "P25 London," an extraordinary Hammond grants the piece a blues cadence supported by the wah-wah-invaded guitar of Rich Robinson. The Crowes, in composing ballads, get excited and give us another gem with "Ballad in Urgency." For fans of the Roots-Rock sound, they craft a small masterpiece called "Downtown Money Waster," with a Keyboard and a Slide guitar that converse amiably.
I won't go on much longer; I'll conclude by saying that on their third studio album (Amorica, precisely), the Black Crowes demonstrate, if there was still any doubt, that they have character and personality, that they are a great combo (even if undermined, as will happen later, by the dualism of the Robinson brothers), that they know how to play and make songs that linger and evoke emotions in those who listen, like those evoked by the good old fathers of Rock, who see at the dawn of the '90s a great group holding high the Dirty and Tattered banner of Rock and Blues. A word of praise goes to the cover, which at the time of release in America gave the band some trouble due to the ever-present actions of the censors who evidently didn't like the Bikini... but that's another story... Mauri.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 Cursed Diamond (05:56)
I lose myself
I forget myself
Sometimes I fault myself
I might fight myself
But then I make amends
I freeze myself
Rain on myself
OK, so I stone myself
And I might even find myself
But then again what happens if I do
So unzip my pride
Open me up wide
So I can show this to you
Chorus:
I want to shine for you
I want to sparkle too
Just like a diamond cursed
Well you know it don't get worse
You know that I'll save you time
Your trouble now is mine
Hold me baby
Hold me girl
And I will laugh with you
If you want me to
Roll me in your splendor
I'll envy your surrender
And show you victory
I hate myself
Doesn't everybody hate themselves
I scare myself
Then I tell myself it's all in my mind
So I let the poison go
'Cause I always know
It will be there for me
Chorus
05 Nonfiction (04:16)
I don't know my telephone number
But you kiss good and I'd like to
See you tomorrow
And I don't beg, I pay, I don't barter
And if we had a child I'd like a son,
Not a daughter
'Cause she'd be just like you
You know that would not do
I'm no builder, I'm no gardener
I sing some songs, have a friend
Who's a photographer
There ain't no other language
I know how to speak
Some like their water shallow
And I like mine deep
Tied to the bottom
With a noose around my feet
Chorus:
The clouds conspire
Above my head
I overheard them
Say I wish he was dead
Today the sunset
Burned my eyes
And in the next room I hear someone cry
I like to dress up like the jury
To eat like a king, to poke fun at clergy
To talk like dirt
To love yo like tar
But never fall in too fast
With my north star
While you pull your hair out
I buy the drinks at the bar
Chorus
07 P.25 London (03:39)
I am a cobweb
In the corner of the room
I tell you I built myself a boat baby
So c'mon and cry me a monsoon
Get busy on it
And make it deep
Imagine how surprised all the kids will be
Empty bottles, saviours they crawl
That has always been and will always be
There's a hornet's nest in my head
Come and save me
If I don't say nothing
You say "now tell us what to do"
So I tell y'all this is just how I live
Somebody else calls it the news
But that's yesterday
Yesterday's news
Imagine how surprised all the kids will be
Empty bottles, saviours they crawl
That has always been and will always be
There's a hornet's nest in my head
Come and save me
Imagine how surprised all the kids will be
Empty bottles, saviours they crawl
That has always been and will always be
There's a hornet's nest in my head
Come and save me
08 Ballad in Urgency (05:39)
Here with me
And this price you pay
Just a wishful dream
could be blown away
Ask yourself for better or worse
Because what's the use if it's just good luck
A black cat has crossed my path
Tell me what's good luck about that
Hate and greed
Swollen and sweet
Let's start this misery
If that's where you wanna be
Fear and love
From down or from up above
Come to me
Come to me
I beg you please
Come set me free
Excuse me please
For my definition
But deeper still
are my convictions
Urgently
I wait to hear an answer
While I misconduct
a sad lost anthem
An anthem like you have never heard
Have you heard something so absurd
Hate and greed
Swollen and sweet
Let's start this misery
If that's where you wanna be
Fear and love
From down or from up above
Come to me
Come to me
I beg you please
Come set me free
09 Wiser Time (05:32)
No time left now for shame
Horizon behind me, no more pain
Windswept stars blink and smile
Another song, another mile
You read the line every time
Ask me about crime in my mind
Ask me why another road song
Funny but I bet you never left home
Chorus:
On a good day, I know it aint every day
We can part the sea
And on a bad day, I know it aint every day
Glory beyond our reach
Fourteen seconds until sunrise
Tired but wiser for the time
Lightning 30 miles away
Three thousand more in two days
Chorus 2x
11 Descending (05:39)
Have mercy baby
I'm descending again
Open your eyes
This time it's sink or it's swim
No sermons on ascending
No verdict on deceit
No selfish memorandum
No confusion for me
Curses
Curses and clues
A feast for fools
Curses
Curses and clues
A feast for fools
Have mercy baby
And hand me downs
It was just a few years ago
You'd hand me ups and map
Right out of town
But I would let it slide
Like mercury
Silver and quick
Poisonous and deadly
So deadly
Curses
Curses and clues
A feast for fools
Curses
Curses and clues
A feast for fools
Loading comments slowly