Customer Reviews

Amorica

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion", which followed the Crowes' massively popular debut album, "Shake Your Money Maker," showed some musical and lyrical growth, and showcased new-found guitar whiz Marc Ford. However, it was with "amorica." (If it appears "amorica." on the cover, why do people spell it otherwise?) that The Black Crowes fully realized their potential as a band. The result was the deepest, most soulful, amazing CD the Crowes have ever produced.

However, of course, critics at the time of its release panned it as nonsensical hippy rock, lacking the "fire" of "SYMM". If by "fire" they meant simple hooks and substance-free lyrics, "amorica." certainly lacked fire. The sound on "amorica." ranges back and forth from the trippy ("Gone") to the dark ("Cursed Diamond") to the uplifting ("She Gave Good Sunflower") to the simply beautiful ("Ballad In Urgency/Wiser Time"). The Crowes, on this album, sacrificed catchy hooks for musical diversity and beauty, and the result was lower sales, but a much higher CD-replay value.

Of course, the album didn't really lack fire. In fact, it was their most fiery album to date, in the emotional sense. The album is a flowing emotional journey, from "A Conspiracy"'s tainted love ("Be my conspiracy," a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way of saying that love isn't always great.), to the dark depths of "Cursed Diamond" ("I hate myself, Doesn't everybody hate themselves, I scare myself, Then I tell myself it's all in my mind, So I let the poison go, 'Cause I always know, It will be there for me"), to the plead for love of "She Gave Good Sunflower" ("Be the sun that bursts through my clouds, it's hard enough just livin' on this ground."), to the lessons learned from "Wiser Time" ("Tired but wiser for the time."), to the impending doom of the strangely beautiful "Descending" ("So help me baby, I'm descending again."). "amorica." is an emotional journey, an honest, pure expression of the band's collective soul and where it was in this point in their lives.

If you're looking for "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels" all over again, look elsewhere. If you're looking for deep, emotionally-impacting, diverse, soul-felt music, "amorica." is your best bet, not only of the Crowes' catalog, but perhaps your best bet, period.

No, it didn't sell millions. No, it didn't have a nice, radio friendly hit exactly. But this album contains some of Chris Robinson's best lyrics... heck, some of the best lyrics EVER put on a rock and roll record! And Chris sings every note, every word with the right amount of sass or soul or lilt or power to get his point across. And the band delivers some of the best music it ever put to tape to help him do that. Drugs would destroy Marc Ford on the next record, but he shines on this one, along with Eddie Harsch's brilliant keyboards (the organ intro on "She Gave Good Sunflower" and the beautiful piano work on "Descending", he can do it all), Steve Gorman's driving drum work (don't kid yourself, he is to this band what Charlie Watts is to the Stones; listen to "Wiser Time": yes, he does that ALL live, too) and Johnny Colt's thundering bass. And the man who does all the rest, the Keith Richards to Chris' Jagger, the criminally under-rated Rich Robinson... lordy, lordy, lordy. What a BAND!

The songs veer a little between here and there. "Gone", "Conspiracy" and "High Head Blues" kick off the album with great sleazy giant guitar driven slabs (with a little Latin backbeat on "Gone" and "High Head"), then lad into the slower "Cursed Diamond" and sad, reflective acourstic "Non Fiction" (better that that "angels" song they play on the radio, both of them) then into the playful "Sunflower", the talk box driven "P.25 London", and the crowning point of the album, "Ballad In Urgency" which slides into "Wiser Time". These two songs are woth the price alone. When CR cranks up for the screaming chorus on "Wiser" ("And on a good day/ I know it's not every day/ We can part the sea/ And on a bad day/ I know it's not every day/ Glory beyond our reach")you WILL find youself shouting yourself hoarse right along with him EVERY TIME. And then the album ends with the playful blues ala Taj Mahal of "Downtown Money Waster" and the shimmeringly beautiful "Descending."

It's not a dark record like Southern Harmony is, but it's not as light as Money Maker... this is the Black Crowes Rocks {Aerosmith} or Exile on Main Street {Stones}. This is the Crowes at their sleazy, gritty best.

Lyrics, rhythms, choruses, uplifting climaxes, and down in the dirt depressing moments, this is the crowes all encompassing tour de force. Southern Harmony was great in its own right, but the line up(i.e. Ford and Harsch) was just warming up. Marc Ford is at his best, long bending notes that leave you hanging on for your life, incredible jams with rich and the gang. You can't go wrong, this is one of the great albums of the past 20 years if not all time. Descending, She Gave good sunflower (their greatest song title and one of their greatest songs as well), Non fiction, Conspiracy, Wiser Time, Ballad in Urgency, Gone, Cursed Diamond. Damn this album is good. Oh yeah, I forgot, High head Blues. Peace.

This is the Crowes 2nd best album, after Southern Harmony. It has a much darker, almost angrier side, demonstrated in the guitar licks. But it also has a sweeter, redemptive edge, especially on tracks like "descending" and "she gave good sunflower." Like many great albums, it takes several listens before you start figuring out what's going on. The music is very sophisticated and well layered, which explains in part why it wasn't a big radio hit, but also why it gets better with age.

I am baffled at how overlooked this CD is. I think it needs to be taken as a whole--in the same way that one would listen to other great rock albums, like "Exile On Main Street", "Captain Fantastic", or "Physical Graffiti", the Black Crowes' "Amorica" is a cool rock'n'roll journey to a mythical place inside your mind. Has that 70s vibe, but really seems timeless, sounds fresh every time. This album represents the Black Crowes at their creative peak. Truly stunning.

it just never wants to go away...All I can say is, I wish every band put this much thought and music into a record...Even tough every song is completely different, the disc flows very well and the varying styles and sounds, not to mention the lyrics, are absolutely amazing...This is the best band of the '90's at their peak...Buy the Southern Harmony first and then this one..Take this record for what it is and please don't expect to hear She Talks To Angels...Amorica told me this band could make a record and call it their own without any silly music critic trying to compare them to some '70's band...The chemistry of the band was amazing...Now, without Marc Ford on lead, they aren't the same....Find some live recordings and pick up this album, you will not be dissapointed...There are songs one here that are beautiful and will not be easy to just forget..."Wiser Time", "Descending", Cursed Diamond", Ballad In Urgency", "She Gave Good Sunflower", "Nonfiction" and "Gone" are the standouts...This should have been a double album, but to no avail...This band's back catalogue is more potent than most bands best efforts and the Crowes makes the radio friendly pop bands of today look childish and trite...Pick this one up, it's a desert isle record...Good luck putting it away too..

This is a very introspective, artistic, and musically interesting album. It's full of hooks--amazing songwriting--not a single weak spot anywhere! Perfect driving music, fantastic musicianship--the guitar playing is all top-notch! This CD really has me taking the Crowes more seriously. Very underrated; easily one of the best rock albums of the last ten years.

Let me be honest at first: I've been a big fan of the crowes since the begining... Yeah, I know it's totally uncool so say that, but whatever.... "Amorica" is their best work to date, for me. A totally overlooked album by both fans and critics, which is a shame, because it's great and should be given another listen. The reason for overlooking may be that this album is a bit more hard edged than "Shake" and "Harmony", but for me this is the album where the band truly found its sound. Their mixure of 1960s rock and Allman Brothers southren rock was never better. In addition, anytime Marc Ford can be heard playing is a good time. And he really shines on this LP. If you're a fan and you have not got this album, please do justice with yourself and the band and buy it. It won't let you down.

Let me firstly state before I commence this review that, in spite of having listned to Hard Rock music for over twelve years now, I have only recently delved into this band's discography. Obviously, I had been aware of the group's presence but for some peculiar reason I never showed an interest in them. I was fortunate enough to pick up a copy of their "By Your Side" CD at my local library, which I took out on loan for a duration of two weeks. This CD I deemed impressive, and as a direct result of "By Your Side", I am gradually buying all of the band's albums.

Without sounding both exaggerative and obsequious, "Amorica" is exemplary. It does, however, take several attentive listens before one can appreciate its class; it is, indeed, an emotional journey - predominantly angry and painful. The album opens with "Gone", for me the most impressive - and heaviest - song on the entire album. This song immediately hits the listener like a freight train, and you've got to admire the clever amalgamation of musical influences on this song. The song, for me, sounds like a blend of psychedelia and Hard Rock, with Latin American undertones; the maracas and hanclapping at the song's introduction strongly evoke these Latin American feelings, and Marc Ford's spellbinding guitarwork is, amazingly, evocative of all three influences. The album's next song, "A Conspiracy", is another strident rocker, which utilises a "wah wah" guitar pedal to urge the song forward. These opening two songs showcase The Crowes' ensemble in full flight.

The next nine songs which complete the odyssey that is "Amorica" are full of twists and meanders, oscillating between soft, soulful singing to loud, incendiary bellows. My personal favourites from this particular cluster of songs are "Nonfiction", "Wiser Time" and the beautiful "Descending" ( featuring great piano work and, for me, Chris Robinson's finest vocal performance to date ).

"Amorica" has the ability to make the listener feel bewildered yet certain; dejected yet elated. The album's energy and ambiguity will leave you tired and confused, and at the same time leave you in awe. Please, under no uncertain terms, don't give up or judge this album upon the the first few listens as it will probably take weeks before the album wins you over.

Finally, I would like to state unequivocally that "The Black Crowes" are the "only" band who keeps the Hard Rock/Blues flame ignited. They make Oasis, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, Reef etc, look amatuer. If your looking for an album with diversity, insight and professionalism, then "Amorica" is yours to embrace.

I don't like superlatives, but I happily will admit that this is the finest rock 'n' roll album I ever have heard. The Crowes digested their influences (soul, Southern-fried rock, funk, Santana, blues, psychedelia) and produced an album that swaggers and seduces like you never could, even on a Saturday night in your sleekest suit and shiniest shoes. Its grooves are so relaxed; its ballads pungent. Don't expect any hits. Consider the album as a suite of equally powerful yet distinctive tracks. And each one feels uncannily familiar, like a song you once heard on the car radio while driving cross-country and always wished you could remember.