The Black Crowes
Amorica

THE REVIEW

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.