Freak 'N' Roll...Into the Fog

This double-disc is essentially the audio component to the DVD of the same name released in March 2006. There are several live documents of the Black Crowes before their breakup especially, but this one shows them at their rawest, with a complete horn section and backing vocalists tearing it up at the Fillmore. It's true, one can listen to the DVDs , but if you aren't one of those people who particularly likes to watch music videos, this might be a better bet. The sound is great, and the performance is positively electric. It starts a little ragged, but that's part of the charm; by the time the band gets to "Soul Slinging" four cuts in, they are burning.If the Black Crowes wanted to prove they were back as a band, Freak 'N' Roll...Into the Fog should be all the evidence one needs.

Live

The title is simple, and it describes exactly what you'll get -- two discs and 19 tracks of the Black Crowes in concert, tearing through fan favorites and chart hits. The album is culled from a series of concerts the group did on their farewell 2001 tour, with Rich Robinson sequencing the entire thing to flow close to an actual concert, right down to his brother Chris' winding, sometimes embarrassing stage patter. Though this isn't as gutsy or revelatory as the dynamite live album with Jimmy Page, it's still a really good live album, finding the band in fine form --Chris is in good voice, the band rocks hard, and the versions here, while not drastically different than the album versions, find the band stretching out where necessary. In short, it's nuthin' fancy, just what a good rock & roll band does. And the Black Crowes are certainly a good rock & roll band, with a deep catalog of strong songs and a good sound, all evident here. True, this is pretty much the province of the dedicated, but those that are devoted fans will find this to be a sweet swan song.

Lions

Their most idiosyncratic album since 1994's neglected gem, Amorica. Like that album, this record is instantly familiar, recalling many common and forgotten platters from the early '70s, yet twisted through a surprisingly individual voice from the Crowes. And, like that record, this is more about the music and the texture than the songs, which is disconcerting for anybody looking for the knockout songwriting of their first two records, or even "Stop Kicking My Heart Around." And, coming on the heels of that record, which was as tight a rock & roll album as they ever did, the diffuseness of Lions seems a bit off-kilter. Still, there's no denying that the group is stretching out and sounds terrific, and not just because Don Was is behind the boards. The group is supple, laying into jams without seeming indulgent, and rocking like a bastard when the occasion calls for it. It's just too bad that there aren't many songs to remember here. Some could argue that was the case with Amorica as well, but those never felt like excuses to play music, and the tone shifted dramatically from track to track. Here, the songs can seem incomplete, as if they got the sound of the track down, but not the structure. Still, this is a powerful, textured hard rock record that covers a lot of ground, surging from powerful riffs to gospel choruses and funkier-than-expected riffs. There are few bands of their time that could sound so versatile within the confines of hard rock, and if this doesn't really deliver memorable songs, tracks do jell on repeated plays, and the Black Crowes' kaleidoscopic vision of rock's history is reason enough to listen to this record.

By Your Side

Between Shake Your Money Maker and Three Snakes and One Charm, the Black Crowes evolved from a muscular, Stonesy hard rock outfit to full-fledged modern-day Southern rockers, drawing from a wealth of blues, country, folk, and rock styles to create a sprawling, fluid sound that was simultaneously traditional and distinctive. The problem was, their loose-limbed grooves tended to connect better in concert than on record. Aware of the situation, the Crowes went back to their roots with By Your Side. It's a back-to-basics set performed with all of the knowledge they have gained over the years, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable record, their most satisfying and accessible effort since Southern Harmony. Not that it's necessarily in that league -- it lacks the parade of great songs that elevate that album above all their others.

Three Snakes and One Charm

With Amorica, the Black Crowes began developing a distinctive sound, shading their Stonesy Southern boogie with a variety of rootsy and psychedelic overtones. But where Amorica was rich with kaleidescopic colors, Three Snakes and One Charm is stripped-down and direct. Sure, it has a punchy, muscular sound that is, if anything, more eclectic than its predecessor, but the production is distressingly monotonous and the songs lack strong hooks. Even with its faults, Three Snakes and One Charm is a winning album, mainly because the Black Crowes' musicianship continues to deepen -- the musical fusions and eclecticism are seamless, particularly from guitarist Rich Robinson. Their musicianship would be even more impressive if the songs were equal in.quality.

Amorica

On Amorica, the Black Crowes finally come into their own, taking their cue from the most relaxed, groove-oriented tracks on their previous album. While the album contains no immediately obvious singles, the songs are the best the band has ever written, stretching out into a hard, jam-oriented, funky blues-rock. The Black Crowes' influences are still discernible -- no band celebrates the glory days of rock culture quite as enthusiastically -- but they use the music of the Rolling Stones, the Faces, and Little Feat much the same way the Stones used the music of Chuck Berry: it's a starting point that leads the band into a new direction, incorporating different musical genres, and making the music original. That sense of reinterpretation is what keeps Amorica fresh.

Sam Houston Coliseum Houston, TX 2/9/1993

Another nationwide radio broadcast of a Black Crowes show. This time, at Houston, TX for a free show provided by the southern jam band. Somehow this show was destined to repay for an earlier concert that was marred by security. This time, the band stopped the show during the performance of "Thorn in My Pride" to rebuke the audience for fighting. Other than that incident, the Black Crowes put out an excellent performance showcasing tunes like "Sting Me", " My Morning Song", "Stare it Cold" and a Bob Marley cover of "Three Little Birds".