Crowes break the silence

The Black Crowes were one of the biggest rock ’n’ roll bands in the early-to-mid ’90s. After a few bumps in the road, they fell from grace and eventually broke up shortly after their 2001 album Lions. In recent years they reunited and began touring. Warpaint is the Crowes’ first studio album in seven years.

The album kicks off with “Goodbye Daughters Of A Revolution,” a mid-tempo rock song that sounds like the typical Black Crowes song, with heavy slide guitar and Chris Robinson’s distinct blues-rock vocals.

The next song “Walk Believer Walk” is a deep-rooted blues-rocker, which lets Robinson prove he can still sing just fine, howling throughout the song in time with the bouncy blues riffs on guitar.

Although there are plenty of up-tempo, dirty blues numbers, the Crowes’ ballads really shine on Warpaint. “Locust Street” stands out as an excellent country-rock ballad. The main melody of the song is played softly on mandolin, while Robinson’s soft and uplifting vocals make it an easy sing-along tune.

In the same vein, “There’s Gold In Them Hills” is another slow rock tune that harkens back memories of previous Crowes’ hits “Seeing Things” and “Miracle To Me,” only with an older, Western-tinged twist. This storytelling ballad is the most somber song on the album, but one of the best. With heavy guitar riffs juxtaposed with the slow-motion sweet-rocking melody, “Wounded Bird” seems reminiscent of early ’90s-era Crowes.

The Black Crowes prove with Warpaint that they are back and a force to be reckoned with. Slide guitar prevails on nearly every track on the album, along with the heavy riffs and poignant ballads that made the Crowes a success in their early days.
If you like your rock with blues and whiskey instead of pop and sugar, then this is the album for you. Although this isn’t the heaviest, or even near the best Black Crowes album, in this time of monotonous commercial music, Warpaint may prove to be one of the best albums of the year.