Customer Reviews

Warpaint [Vinyl]

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After two dismal outings (Lions and By Your Side), the crowes finally hit pay dirt again. A new direction, but with the same likability of Southern Harmony, Amorica, and Three Snakes. Strong music and lyrics. Mix of Southern rock, country, blues, soul. It's hard not to shake it when you hear Movin on Down the Line and God's got it (a cover). The slower songs, Oh Josephine, Locust Street, and There's Gold in them Hills all stand out. Whoa Mule is the best closer they've had since Descending on Amorica. The heavier songs are laced with funky interludes and great jams, great turns, great choruses. I found highlights in every song, and it will definitely make for a great live setlist.

It's Been 7 years, but we finally have some actual "New" Black Crowes material. Not alternate takes, cutting room floor scraps, or rejected songs from previous album projects. Ten All new Black Crowes songs (one cover). Warpaint is a good mix of what these guys do best: bluesy, country, southern rock music. You can definitely hear the influences of their predecessor's that they have been compared to: early Stones, the Faces, Allman Brother's, and even a little bit of those laid-back southern-California Eagles of the 70's. Yep, I'm giving it 5 stars. As a Long-time Black Crowes Fan, I can tell you, this is way better than their last album (Lions)!

Warpaint kicks things off with "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution", a song that incorporates everything that the "traditional Black Crowes style" has to offer, at it's Bluesy, Country, Rockin' best. As soon as you get a few minutes into this opening track, you will start to smile and think "Damn, the Crowes are BACK!" Things keep going good thru "Walk Believer Walk". One of the heavier songs on Warpaint. More like "Black Moon Creeping" off So. Harmony. Heavy blues guitar and strong vocals by Chris. Speaking of the vocals, this album, as other reviewer's have already noted, has Chris' vocals right up front and very clean and clear. Nothing like the distorted vocals he had on some tracks from By Your Side and especially Lions.

"Oh Josephine" is a soft acoustic/electric number that harkens back memories of "She Talks to Angels" or "Angie" by the Stones. Has some great slide guitar work and piano accompaniment.

"Evergreen" has a real southern rock, Allman Brothers/jam feel to it. Swirling keyboards, guitars, and Chris' vocals spin together and meander along. A number of slower tempo breaks and some smooth electric guitar solos.

"Wee Who See the Deep" is another great classic sounding Black Crowes song with some great electric guitar work. This one's still growing on me.

"Locust Street", a quiet, slow, country sounding ballad. Nice tune.

"Movin' On Down the Line" is a medium tempo rocker, with some good electric guitar interplay between Rich and the new guy, Luther Dickinson.

"Wounded Bird" gets a little rowdy at times, but then mellows down again.

"God's Got It", the only non-original song here, written by Reverend Charlie Jackson.

"There's Gold In Them Hills" - this is a slow acoustic song which has kind of a story-line to it. Reminds me of Desperado by the Eagles, just without all the lush string arrangements.

The album closer, "Whoa Mule" - An acoustic folk song

Be Warned: This is not an album of "rowdy, raucous, rock `n roll" as the early Crowes leaned towards. It is a much more laid-back affair. More like Amorica too me. Remember how the style of "Ballad of Urgency, Wiser Time, and Descending" made you feel? Most of this album is like that.

About the line-up changes. Any band that's been around for over a decade is bound to have a few lie-up changes. In the Crowes 18 year history, they have more "former members" than actual band members now. Sven Pipien on Bass has been with them long enough to be considered a veteran. Their former, long-time keyboard player, Ed Harsh finally called it quits in 2006, and has formally been replaced by Adam MacDougall. On again, off again, lead guitarist Marc Ford left again in 2006 and has also been replaced by the former North Mississippi Allstars Luther Dickinson, who seems to be doing a great job. Casual fans won't even notice a difference.

I didn't think the Robinson brothers would ever get back together as the Black Crowes and do anything more than a reunion show or two, much less a whole new album! As a long-time Crowes fan from the very beginning. I am grateful for the new music.

Recommended. Now get out their, buy this disc and support the band.

Although the last two albums weren't horrible, they certainly didn't have the creative flair and originality that we've come to expect from the Black Crowes of the 90's.

Thankfully, Warpaint brings us back to what was once considered the norm: Folksy, Bluesy, Rocksy Music. In that order.

Warpaint doesn't rock out like Amorica, but it certainly doesn't droll along like By Your Side did. 'Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution' opens the album strongly and sets the stage for the remaining tracks, none of which struck me as "filler".

Although this isn't my favorite Crowes' album, every track is a good listen, and it opens the band to non fans and possibly a younger crowd. I'm not at all implying that Warpaint is commerical or Pop, just that it struck me as being more widely "listenable" than previous works.

Enjoy!

It may have taken 7 years but the Crowes have returned with one of their strongest efforts in their career. After two so so albums (By Your Side and Lions) and a highly experimental album (Three Snakes). The Crowes brought in Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars and it's clear he has this band re-energized. This is a very rootsy album, if you had Levon Helm and Rick Danko singing you could swear this was The Band. This album is their most consistent since Amorica and provides some highlights of the Crowes career. "Goodbye Daughters", "Oh Josephine", "Walk Believer Walk" and "We who see the Deep" are up there with some of their best work. The intimacy of "Whoa Mule" was one of the highlights for me. Recorded outside, you can hear the birds chirping outside and you get the feel of all the members sittin around a campfire getting tall and playing from the heart. It felt like a religious experience for me. It shows the emotional power the Crowes can evoke through their music.

Being a die hard Crowes fan, this album is exactly what they needed. A strong rootsy album that will appeal to lovers of rock music from The Stones, to the Allmans to the Band. The Crowes remain rocks best band today and this album is a phenomenal addition to an already strong catalogue of work. Highly recommended.

The playing on this new release is vintage Crowes - tight, intricate and (at times) awe-inspiring. The Trouble Triplets of Chris & Rich Robinson, along with their partner in crime, Steve Gorman on the drums have created a fantastic set of songs. I get a little tired of hearing people whine about the band not re-recording releases from years past. If you want to hear Amorica or Southern Harmony, bust them out and give them a spin. Let's take this new release for what it is - a ridiculously solid band playing southern-fried blues rock at its best. Chris Robinson's time away as a solo artist seems to have breathed new life into his singing with the Crowes. His time behind the board on his own solo recordings (and the latest Gary Louris release, VAGABONDS) has proved to be time well spent. WARPAINT is well-produced (Paul Stacey) and is filled with nice little touches throughout. This is the release that's been missing for a long, long time. Yes, it's more mellow than some of their earlier stuff. However, there isn't a lost track here. Each song stands on its own and has something to offer. Again, if you want the old stuff, dust off the discs and knock yourself out. For me, WARPAINT is going to be in heavy rotation for a good long time.

The Black Crowes have dealt with a whole lot of static since their early days, maybe because they initially shot for party boy rock stardom. (Remember "Hard to Handle" anyone?) They're still being dogged by that same old criticism, which hasn't been relevant since at least 1992, after which they evolved into a much different band and traveled a confusing road of lineup changes and reunions. Well now it's time to (finally) just accept the Black Crowes for what they truly are - a solid and capable southern blues-rock band. Sure they're not the most original songwriters in the world (and never have been) but their performances all compelling and honest, and their delivery is flawless with no messing around. They're good at what they do and that's all they need to do.

The Robinson Brothers are soldiering on as valiantly as ever, it's great to have drummer Steve Gorman back on board, and new keyboardist Adam MacDougall seems to be fitting in fine (and even adds a few unexpected touches, like the Wild West saloon piano in "There's Gold in Them Hills"). The big lineup news here is the addition of Luther Dickinson on lead guitar, and anyone familiar with his fulltime band, the North Mississippi Allstars, may be surprised by his subdued and unassuming sound here. Luther has either been forced to conform to the Crowes method or has graciously surrendered to their mellow groove - I suspect the latter. Overall, the music on this album truly reminds me of Amorica and Three Snakes, with a country blues vibe that is both laidback and insistent at the same time. "Walk Believer Walk" and "Wee Who See the Deep" are surprisingly moody and even a bit sinister, and the mid-tempo winners "Evergreen" and "Wounded Bird" combine the best of the Crowes' solid rock rhythms and hippie mysticism. The seven-year hiatus seems to have allowed the Crowes to revamp their attack, rediscover their future, and return to their greatest strengths. [~doomsdayer520~]

The Black Crowes finally return from a long slumber with their first new album in 7 years, Warpaint. What have they been doing for the last 7 years? Well, for starters, let's look what happened after Lions...

First off, Lions didn't do too well. Maybe it's because it wasn't that great. So, after touring all that year, the Crowes said bye-bye for a few years. Chris and Rich both had pretty good solo albums, but they both realized that they missed each other. Thus, the Crowes reunited in 2005 with the original lineup (except for their bassist at the time, Sven Pipien).

Unfortuantly, problems arose again, and guitarist Marc Ford and long time keyboardist Eddie Haryrsch both left the band, and were replaced by North Mississippi Allstars leader Luther Dickenson and Adam MacDougall, both great musicians. The band then scrapped all the material they had written in 2006 onwards, and wrote all new material as a band for Warpaint.

Listening to Warpaint, it's hard to believe that By Your Side and Lions were ever made. This sounds like Three Snakes Pt. II. The band sounds wiser and older, making music that sounds like what a band should be making 20 years down the line. No, it's not as heavy as their older material, but it is more rootsy and tighter than the earlier days. For the first time since Amorica, it sounds like the Crowes have something to say.

Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution kicks things off, and the Crowes sound is there, but there is a contemporary sound too, what with Luther's Allman-esque slide fills clashing with Rich's open-tuned Stones-worship riffs. Chris Robinson doesn't really scream like he used to, instead, he has a voice full of respect and he knows when to lay back when needed.

Walk Believer Walk is a vicious blues, the darkest and dirtiest song the band ever recorded. Luther lays down some venomous licks, Chris gets into deep Southern preacher mode, and Rich brings the hammer down. Fantastic song, one of the best they've ever wrote.

Oh, Joesphine might be the best song Little Feat never wrote. Some great lyrics from Chris (Diamonds hold the mirrors/Spoon it holds the stars/Been a long time, baby, since I seen the sun rise like this). There's beautiful poetry in his simple words, and the music definetly taps an imagery of Southern love, laying out in the woods with your loved one, smoking a joint and letting it all ride. The outro is cathartic, the band laying down a moving 6/8 riff with such power and energy not heard in years.

Evergreen continues the spell with a touch of psychedelia. For the first time since Three Snakes, Chris is writing some intelligent poetry. No more "Let's get it started, y'all!" on this record. Very moving stuff.

Wee Who See The Deep gets things a little funkier, this one being a great live staple for some awesome jamming. Chris taps into hippie mysticism in the words (I have come from the hurricane/A messenger that the tempest brings/Eyes full of sun, hands full of seeds/At one with the night just to help me see), while a thick Zeppelin funk riff permeates the senses.

Locust Street is just a bittersweet song, some very tasteful mandolin playing from Luther. It's a song for people who are lost in this world (And it's easy pickins/On locust street/There's no place to hide), and the message is very resonant in these dark times.

Movin' On Down The Line...wow. What an intro! Very psychedelic, very soulful, very rocking! Almost every musicial idea is present in this song. Blues, rock, psychedelia, country, it's all here. And Chris is one of the few people to sing "It's alright, brothers and sisters" without sounding cliche. Brilliant song.

Wounded Bird, the big "single" off the album, showcases where the Crowes are now. At once powerful and menacing, at other times light and loving, this is a song for the ages. Set your mind to fly.

God's Got It is pure Southern-fried blues. This could almost pass for an R.L. Burnside song. You can definetly feel Luther's love of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues in this song. And the marching band drums really give it an authentic flavor.

There's Gold In Them Hills is another surprising twist for the Crowes. They could never have written something like this for Shake Your Moneymaker, it's got too much old wisdom throughout. A slow tear-jerking ballad, it's one of the most honest and heartfelt ballads the brothers Robinson ever put to pen.

Whoa Mule leaves on a hopeful note, a song and an album bridging the gap between old and new, and east & west. An almost bluegrass raga, if you will.

Warpaint is an incredible listening experience, and one for the generations to come. It sounds like a band with a purpose, a meaning, and a message. Buy it today, and you can't go wrong.

I have been disappointed with a number of new music releases in the last year. That being said, I was a little apprehensive about this release. I was excited for a new Black Crowes record, but I was sort of flinching at the potential to not impress me. I was primarily worried about the sound due to Eddie Harsch leaving the band. I expected his lack of presence to leave a huge void and along with a newcomer on lead guitar...I wasn't sure The Black Crowes getting back together was a good thing. Well, I was wrong...

This album is a strong release by the Robinson brothers and company. The sound is familiar being Black Crowes blues-rock, but the songs are rich and mature. There is more thought and sincerity to the lyrics. There is more complexity in the guitar playing and background vocals. The new lead guitar player (Luther Dickinson of The North Mississippi All-stars) has a nice sound that fits in well with the BC. He is fluid and melodic and fits in nicely following Marc Ford. The same can be said of Adam MacDougall on keyboards. I didn't sense a big difference between the sounds to notice that Eddie Harsch wasn't playing with them. You can tell that the Robinson brothers have aged well. They have figured out how to work well together versus fighting like they did previously.

I would agree with many other reviews that say this album will grow on you. It will indeed! However, I don't think it is one that you won't like at first listen. I think people will like it at first, but love it more and more with each spin.

Also, I saw The Black Crowes Unplugged on MHD (Music High Definition channel), and they played songs from the new album. The performance was really quite amazing! The songs on Warpaint will be great to see live. I hope they release the unplugged performance on DVD, because I will buy it in a New York minute!

My relationship with the Black Crowes has always been rocky at best. Their first two albums, "Shake Your Money Maker" and "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion," were excellent. I really love that blend of southern rock and blues. Like any burgeoning band, I looked forward to their next release. Then, "Amorica" was released and I enjoyed most of the album (especially the epic blues ballad closer "Descending"). However, two years later, "Three Snakes & One Charm" was released and I felt I had lost the Crowes I had loved. Something had changed in the boys from Georgia. With the exception of maybe two songs, the album stunk. I was so discouraged that I never really gave their next efforts - "By Your Side" and "Lions," respectively - a listen. I gave their team-up with Jimmy Page (Live at the Greek) a try and was disappointed yet again; not that anything's wrong with that album, it just wasn't for me. I became so broken-hearted over the changes that I thought the band had gone through that I hastily made up my mind that they were lost into the abysmal machinations of the music industry.


Then came 2008. The band had not released a studio album for seven years; I hadn't really heard too much on them with the exception of frontman Chris Robinson divorcing from his overrated actress of a wife, Kate Hudson. Out of the blue - two weeks before it was released - I heard of them releasing their next album, "Warpaint." I had briefly heard the album opener on the radio and, from what I had heard, it sounded good. So, despite my staggering disappointment over popular artists releases lately (see Jack Johnson and Lenny Kravitz), I decided to give the Crowes a much-deserved second chance. The first track and their first single, "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution," finds frontman Robinson in top form as his vocals slink together in perfect harmony with the southern rock guitars. The chorus is catchy and you soon find yourself tapping your foot to the music. Let me just say this as an announcement for the entire album: The Crowes channel early Rolling Stones in the best way possible. But this is no Stones clone album; they channel other artists all the while putting their own touch of jam blues southern rock into it. The next song, "Walk Believer Walk," sounds nothing like a Stones song, but more like straight-up blues gospel (unfortunately, without any choir). But that works 'cause there is no room for a choir here as Rich Robinson and Luther Dickinson's guitars are two separate voices all their own and fill up this slow stomper with enough to satisfy the listener.


"Oh Josephine" is a blues ballad that returns to early Stones and finds Chris Robinson again in top form as ballads often take more vocal strain than fast-moving rockers. Adam MacDougall's piano adds the perfect touch at all the right moments and the music just flows. It's a great song and one of my many favorites on this album. The following song, "Evergreen," is probably my least favorite on the album but still a decent song. The guitars are piercing and the drumming is perfectly timed which makes the music good enough, but this song just seems to be one of those filler blues songs that I hear all too often on most contemporary blues albums nowadays. Luckily, next comes "Wee Who See the Deep." This album starts off with riffing guitars and jam-band piano as Robinson's vocals make the song the band's own. This is true Crowes music and it really picks up in the middle of the song as the guitar and piano come together for one great jam.


The sixth track is "Locust Street" and the best way to describe this gem with its mandolin-heavy music is that one can practically hear early Rod Stewart (think back to his Every Picture Tells a Story) singing this one. The lyrics are wonderful and fit nicely with the semi-ballad music. It's one of my many favorites and it leads into, hands down, my favorite track on the album, "Movin' On Down the Line." The song begins with semi-creepy chanting from Robinson and others before breaking into Robinson's jumpy words. Then, when the chorus hits, the band breaks out without going too crazy. After all, they have to save something for the musical climax. And, believe me, you'll know it when you hear it. That's what makes this song - and the Black Crowes - so good at what they do. The chorus to the next song, "Wounded Bird," sounds an awful lot like Aerosmith's "Avant Garden" from the 2001 album Just Push Play. The best parts in this song are when Robinson is rounding out the chorus with the line "Set your mind to fly," as well as when the bridge hits.


"God's Got It" was not written by the Crowes but by Reverend Charlie Jackson. And it's infectious, rollicking foot-stomper of a song is probably one of the best gospel blues songs I've heard in a long time. It sounds like something Aerosmith (namely Joe Perry) would record; it strikes heavy resemblances to their Honkin' On Bobo slide guitar testament "Jesus Is On The Mainline," only with a faster tempo. I usually am turned off by any religious-type material on rock albums but this one is not bad at all. Soon comes "There's Gold in Them Hills." I hear Elton John's 1971 Tumbleweed Connection as a major influence from the honky-tonk piano, yearning young man blues-singing and traditional cowboy, gold-rush Western lyrics that fill that album. This is a great ballad to the old West and I can tell that the closing song that approaches has to be something distinct and decent enough to end out the album. And all of that is found in the next song, "Whoa Mule." Slightly faster then "Hills" and with a majority of acoustic guitars, "Whoa Mule" continues the old West theme with its lyrics, but takes the song (as well as the album) into a metaphoric message of whatever the Crowes are looking for, they know they'll "get there someday," together. The song balances fictional storytelling with the very non-fictional band's feelings about reuniting (i.e. "We're dirty but we're dreaming"), and I think it works out perfectly. It makes a great closer for the album and before I know it, it's beginning all over again and I'm ready to make the trip with them.


"Warpaint" is one of the best rockers out so far this year and now I feel filled with hope again that the Black Crowes have retained their bearings and are musically back on track. This album may sound like other famous part artists but it works out quite well for the Crowes. I say, keep it up! This album is southern jam blues rock at its best. We'll see how the future fares for the Crowes. However, if this album is any preface, then they've got great things in store for fans as well as the rest of the music world.

There have been quite a few good albums that have been released in 2008, which raises the hopes of many that good music is coming back. One of the highlights is the highly anticipated Warpaint by The Black Crowes. Their best album since Amorica, the Crowes go back to their roots and even though the brothers Robinson don't get along socially, they have always had a spark musically, and it's never been more apparent than on this album. Songs like Movin on Down the Line, Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution, Whoa Mule, and a cover of Reverend Charlie Jackson's God's Got it, are highlights and shows a whole other spectrum of unexplored ideas the band previously had not endevored. Warpaint has everything a good Crowes record should be. It's not contrived, they still have their authentic classic rock/blues sound they have perfected over the years, and it's an album that grows on you through multiple listens. You notice something different each time. Overall, this is a flawless record in the sense that there are no bad songs on it, and it brings back redemption to a band who, for many, lost their way. Well, they've found it.