The world needed more Black Crowes in the 2010s, but brother Chris and Rich Robinson could quit feuding. This is one of the most-told stories in the history of rock & roll: Bands of brothers often bicker more than is good for them.
Thankfully, the Robinsons decided to make up and get back to making music and doing tours. The strange part is that once they reunited for 2024's Happiness Bastards, it was as if they never took any time off. The album rivaled the gems the band gave us from the early 1990s.
That meant 2026's A Pound of Feathers had a lot to live up to. The Black Crowes had a lot of music stored up for a revival for their first album after reforming, but sophomore records, which is basically what the group's latest is after spending more than a decade away from performing with one another, are more difficult.
Black Crowes provide another piece of rock & roll excellence on their 10th album, A Pound of Feathers
A band could choose to replicate the exact sound of the previous album in hopes of rekindling past successes. And make no mistake, Happiness Bastards was a huge success, including earning the Robinsons a Grammy nod for Best Rock Album.
The Crowes, though, have always sounded much like themselves, but that approach allows for quite a bit of unexpected nuance. They are firmly a rock band, but they borrow from gospel, R&B, Southern rock, and English giants like the Rolling Stones. They tie it all brilliantly up into something unique.
That continues on A Pound of Feathers, an album that makes for a nice companion to their previous record, but one that is slightly heavier and more aggressive. That starts with the bombastic "Profane Prophecy," which implies it might break off at any point to become "Brown Sugar," but holds its own.
"Cruel Streak" picks up where the opener ended before the band makes a slight detour into the slower, but not ballad-like, "Pharmacy Chronicles." A song that never strains to be "She Talks to Angels," and for good reason. Its intent is not to provide a harsh look at addiction, but to uplift.
Oddly named "Do the Parasite!" is a full-on banger with Chris Robinson's vocals put through a fuzzbox that fits the tune perfectly. Maybe the group knew the song's title was a silly one and chose to make the music undeniably excellent.
"High & Lonesome" somehow combines a Tom Waits-like atmosphere with Brett Anderson of Suede's hint of darkness. The lyrics aren't about vampires, but they might as well be.
The closer the Black Crowes come to making a pure country track is with "High & Lonesome," but almost as if they have admitted their slight digression, the next tune, "It's Like That," is a rager with 1970s-style backing vocals and Rich Robinson getting to play the part of Mick Ralphs. It's voluminously epic.
"Blood Red Regrets" is clearly influenced by Led Zeppelin, even with some acoustic guitar midway through, before pounding its way back to the levee. Yet, even with the track, Chris Robinson's vocals require one to notice this is first and foremost a Black Crowes tune, and a damn good one.
The album ends with a trio of kick-to-the-finish rock tunes. "You Call This a Good Time?" is straightforward and simply wants to be fun. "Eros Blues" is heavier and intentionally inconsistent. "Doomsday Doggerel" is reminiscent of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky," while the vocals are those of a country preacher. The track isn't meant to save your soul, however.
What has always separated the Black Crowes from their contemporaries is the constant buy-in that they understand what they are creating is 1970s AOR but grounded in the effervescence and mystic lyrics of Chris Robinson, coupled with the elite musicianship of Rich. They might borrow heavily from their influences, but remain so consistently excellent that no one else could sound quite like them.
Rating: 8 out of 10