The Black Crowes
Happiness Bastards
Silver Arrow
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We’ve only made it through one quarter of 2024 and the stars are seeming to align to give us one of the more satisfying years of rock & roll in recent memory. One prime example is that the notoriously strife-ridden relationship between brothers Chris and Rich Robinson has been pushed aside far enough for The Black Crowes to deliver Happiness Bastards, their first studio album in nearly fifteen years.
If you’ve followed the Atlanta-bred band since the release of their seminal 1990 debut Shake Your Money Maker or hitched on at any point along the tumultuous ride of the Black Crowes’ career, Happiness Bastards offers everything you’ve grown to love and appreciate about the band. Chris sounds amazing throughout all of the LP’s ten songs of the LP and the band led by Rich on guitar demonstrates their signature impeccable timing.
High-octane tracks like “Rats and Clowns” take you back to rock’s heydays of the late ‘70s to the early ‘80s when musicians focused on being individually and collectively funky and taking listeners on an auditory joyride. Rich’s superior guitar work juxtaposed with Chris’ optimal use of his Georgian accent and gritty vocals make the chorus “It's overflowing, baby /Oh yes, I said, It's gonna spill / Yeah, you know what you're doing / Your touch gives me such a thrill / And if it ain't killed me yet /Oh, it never will” reach out and punch you in the chest in a way that has been missing from rock in the band’s decade-and-a-half absence.
Similarly, the LP’s lead single “Wanting and Waiting” hits the band’s niche sound in their unique way of effectively creating a song that would have charted just as easily in 1979, 1986, or 2004.
Listen to the Album:
The Black Crowes have never been one-dimensional in sound and this isn’t a trait they’ve adopted during their sabbatical. “Wilted Rose” is a ballad awaiting its opportunity to go viral with a special live performance. The collaboration with breakout country artist Lainey Wilson is in the vein of The Crowes’ signature song “She Talks to Angels” and should be well received in both rock and country communities throughout 2024 and beyond.
Happiness Bastards is a very well executed album by an acclaimed veteran band, who have delivered on adding to their celebrated legacy. The current musical landscape will be well served if Happiness Bastards rivals Shake Your Money Maker in impact. In the manner that they originally burst onto the scene, The Black Crowes have returned to give us all a hard-hitting reminder that while rock can be simultaneously rugged and vulnerable, it doesn’t need to be overthought, just authentic. The Black Crowes have proven that they are a key ingredient in the ever-evolving recipe of modern rock & roll and the genre just doesn’t pack the same punch without them.
Notable Tracks: “Rats and Clowns” | “Wanting and Waiting” | “Wilted Rose”
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