Today, The Black Crowes released their 6th full length studio album, Lions, the follow up to 1999's By Your Side and their year long or so collaboration with Jimmy Page. If By Your Side was the band returning to their "roots," so to speak, then Lions is the band's roar of feeling free of labels and expectations.
On the opening track, Midnight From the Inside Out, the band picks up right where By Your Side left off. It's a strong rock and roll song with a fabulous ringing guitar riff that has seemingly become lead guitarist Rich Robinson's calling card over the years. His brother, lead singer Chris (and newly married to Kate Hudson, lucky bastard) doesn't overextend his voice on this track as he commonly did on BYS, and instead he finds a nice rhythm with the music.
The next song, and first single, Lickin', is definitely different than anything the band has done on their previous efforts. At once, it rocks and makes you wanna dance. While I wouldn't usually associate the Crowes' music with sex, the guitar riff on this song just sounds DIRTY, like old school rock and roll riffs used to.
The b-side to Lickin' is the groovy Soul Singing, which harkens back to the Crowes more bluesy and soul roots of their second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. This song flows so smoothly, and Robinson's voice sounds as good as ever.
Upon first listen to No Use Lying, you'll think you're in familiar power ballad territory that every band explores at least once in their career, or so it seems. That is until you realize Robinson is singing lines like "there's no use lying, cause I've heard all the bullsh*t before." Same thing with the following track, Losing My Mind, a beautiful song but one that has Robinson repeating over and over "I hate you, yes I hate you."
It should be noted the obvious effect that producer Don Was had on this record. His idea to record the album in a converted Yiddish theatre in New York has given this album a unique sound that blends strings, guitars, fabulous drumming by Steve Gorman, and gorgeous vocal harmonies into an album that truly flows better than anything that's come out in the last 2-3 years.
Overall, Lions will disappoint those who wanted another hard rocking effort like BYS. But it will make fans who appreciate a band growing and evolving stand up and take notice, finally in a lot of cases, that the Crowes are truly a band with true artistc merit.
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