The Black Crowes
Shake Your Money Maker

THE REVIEW

If Southern Rock didn’t die with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 'Sweet Home Alabama' or the Allman Brothers Band's 'Jessica,' it’s precisely thanks to “Shake Your Money Maker,” the debut of the Black Crowes dated 1990.

In an era where South music was already on a clear decline, they managed to bring back to the scene a simple and dirty Southern rock 'n' roll in which sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll are the only creed. The group initially formed under the name Mr. Crowe’s Garden, founded by the historic Robinson brothers, to which drummer Steve Gorman, bassist Steve Gorman, and Jeff Cease later joined to support Rich on guitar. The group is especially famous for the long duration of their concerts, which featured endless jam sessions, and for their rebellious character, typical of southern men, which leads them to ridicule their sponsor on stage, to support concerts in favor of the legalization of marijuana, or to quarrel with various spectators among the audience.

From the first notes of the distorted guitar in “Twice As Hard”, it is clear that the group is not used to frills but to a raw, hard, and especially direct style. This concept is proven also in other high-caliber tracks such as “Thick And Thin,” “Sister Luck,” and “Could I’ve Been So Blind”. But the Black Crowes seized the top spot in the American charts mainly for the spectacular “Hard To Handle,” offering this historic soul piece by Otis Redding in a hard rock key. Chris’s voice is raw and sharp, the guitar riffs increasingly aggressive: in short, the album is worth it even just for this great song. In “Shake Your Money Maker,” there are also recognizable characteristics or, why not, real anthems to the sacred monsters of Hardrock, which, in the end, were also myths to the five boys from Atlanta. Just listen to that guitar in “Sister Luck” to bring back memories of the great riffs like those of Lynyrd, “Seeing Things” to make us feel the emotion like the ballads of Free can, or “Stare It Cold,” a typical AC/DC song (with a shameless nod to “Needle And The Spoon”), and the various nods to Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin that hover somewhat throughout the album.

But the gem of this album, and one of the most beautiful songs in their entire discography, is “She Talks To Angels”, where acoustic guitar and organ transport the listener on a decadent yet profound journey through the visions and hallucinations of a drug addict, truly very touching!

In short, for every lover of southern and hard rock, a highly recommended album!