In 2024, following 16 years without a studio record of original material, the Black Crowes notched a rarity: a new album that presented the group at their most vital-sounding since 1992’s No. 1 The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion.
Much of the talk surrounding Happiness Bastards at the time centered on the reunion of Chris and Rich Robinson, the oft-fueding brothers whose ongoing disputes had left the band inactive for much of the ’10s. Renewed friendship and a refreshed lineup sparked not only the Robinsons but also their music.
Realizing that Happiness Bastards captured the band on an upswing, which included a Grammy nomination, their first since a Best New Artist nod in 1990, the Black Crowes return to a similar template for their 10th album, A Pound of Feathers. Not much has changed; the riffs are still the Rolling Stones meet the Allman Brothers Band, the production is slick but grimy, and the overall energy is somewhere locked between Led Zeppelin and Faces.
READ MORE: Recent Album Reviews
The Robinsons waste little time getting back to business. The opening track, “Profane Prophecy,” uncorks like a Southern rock hurricane from the distant past, with slide guitar, cowbell and rowdy vocals crowding the edges. “Cruel Streak” and “It’s Like That” follow a similar path, with quick guitar flashes and splashy, half-gospel backing singers joining in with rousing call-and-response.
The roisterous party atmosphere on A Pound of Feathers slows down for reflection a couple of times, hoping for another “She Talks to Angels,” the hit single about heroin addiction from the Black Crowes’ 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker. But only the acoustic sway of “Pharmacy Chronicles” stands out among the barnstorming, if nonsensical, tracks such as “Do the Parasite!” Like Happiness Bastards, A Pound of Feathers is best appreciated without much discretion. And like the best reunions, the Black Crowes’ return exalts the past while fully living in the moment.
Southern Harmonies and Musical Companions: The Black Crowes Albums Ranked
From their lightning-bolt introduction to their reunion LP more than three decades later, they’ve rarely strayed from form.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
