The Black Crowes
Croweology

This 2010 double album was the last from the Black Crows for a long time, followed by yet another brawl between the two bosses of the group, namely singer and guitarist brothers Robinson. They fought so much that they didn't see each other for almost a decade, making peace only three years ago... For now, the successor to this work is a simple EP with six covers, released last year.

Even “Croweology” contains almost no unreleased tracks, featuring twenty songs of which eighteen are acoustic renditions of tracks plucked from their first six career albums, from “Shake Your Money Maker” to “Lions”. There is one unreleased track signed by the two brothers, “Cold Boy Smile”, and finally a cover of “She”, an old piece by country/rock pioneer Gram Parsons.

The most “re-explored” work in the discography is the second career album “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” with as many as five reinterpretations, half an album. Also well represented are the explosive debut already mentioned “Shake...”, the bold “Amorica”, the star-ninja “Three Snakes and One Charm”. Only one presence instead for the tough “By Your Side” and I'm sorry... I would have liked a couple more rural versions of the overflowing, razor-sharp hard rock tracks of which this work is full. Only one song is also taken for the sixth album “Lions”. Nothing from the later ones, already “quiet” and semi-acoustic on their own.

What else to say... After the first decade marked by southern rock and rock blues in the style of the Rolling Stones and Faces, the Black Crowes were taken by the whims of frontman Chris Robinson towards very hippy and almost psychedelic shores, greatly tempering their fury and “drive”. I am sorry for this, not for nothing, “By Your Side” is their work I prefer precisely because it is full of cyclonic and wind-blown hard rock blues.

In my opinion, the differences between Rick and Chris Robinson were precisely about this musical style problem: the rock guitarist and the singer... stoned. I like Rick when he lets loose (the guitar) and forces his brother to scream to stand out from the unparalleled racket of his instrument. Chris is a great singer, whether he screams or not, but the Black Crowes become boring when constantly dealing with odd, unmelodic and even less rhythmic tracks.

However, the album listens well... at a certain point, a certain tedium arises due to the continuous clatter of acoustics, but many of the best pieces from their repertoire are present and their melodic charm remains intact. In short, it's an album for fans of the group and also comes in an attractive cardboard packaging (when opened, it makes the usual two crows pop out), which, however, does not give up the usual house flaw/provocation: the lettering is handmade and is difficult to read, as has happened before.

A seven out of respect, therefore three and a half stars rounded up to four.