CD Review: "Warpaint" - The Black Crowes

I have never bought a Black Crowes album. Actually, I have always respected their southern jam-band aesthetic (plus the fact that singer Chris Robinson scored himself some sweet Kate Hudson action for seven years before their recent divorce), but it always seemed like they were trying too hard to be rootsy. Their latest release, "Warpaint," however, is a great "comeback" album from a band that had not released new material in seven years. The vocals and guitar are still handled quite adeptly by perpetually feuding brothers Chris and Rich Robinson. With the exception of drummer Steve Gorman, the rest of the band has totally turned over. But in my opinion it's the addition of slide guitar player Luther Dickinson of The North Mississippi All-Stars that takes this album from the realm of the "good" to the realm of the "excellent." The sound evokes The Allman Brothers as well as the more country Rolling Stones stuff, and other "southern-fried" rock bands. On this album, nothing seems forced, and the music is unmistakably genuine and solid. The career arc of The Black Crowes is once again on an upward trend, thanks to this very good collection of songs (can I still call it an album?). If you are so inclined, pick it up - you won't be disappointed.

CD Review: "Brighter Than Creations Dark" - Drive-By Truckers

I am only a casual fan of the Drive-By Truckers. I have never seen them live, and I had downloaded one of their previous releases (Southern Rock Opera). They always struck me a "hick-rockers," and I don't mean that in a bad way. Kinda like Lynyrd Skynyrd, but with a little more pedal steel guitar. Their latest release is their first since former primary songwriter Jason Isbell left the band last year. It is a bit long, with 19 tracks, but it holds together rather well. The first song (Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife) is simply beautiful. In fact, it was the reason I decided to seek out the CD, having heard the track on a local independent radio station. In my humble opinion, the weakest tracks are the ones that are sung by the lone female in the group, Shonna Tucker. And by "weakest," I mean that they are still good songs, but not up to the same standard as some of the others (Bob, Perfect Timing, Daddy Needs a Drink, The Man I Shot, Self Destructive Zones). There is a certain "hominess" to this CD, and the songs are very well written. The song lyrics remind me of some stuff by the Old 97s and The Gourds (in addition to lots of typical country songs), in that they deal with "troubles" of one kind or another (drinking, meth, women, cheatin' spouses, etc.). The tempo varies throughout the CD, going from slow ballads, to mid-tempo rockers, to fast hard rocking songs. I have listened to it three or four times already, and I have not tired of it yet. I hear something new each time. Since I am by no means an expert on the Truckers, I have to trust the opinions of many others who say that this is their best album yet. I don't know about that, but I think this is an excellent CD, and will probably be on my "best of 2008" list at the end of the year.

CD Review: "Dirt Farmer" - Levon Helm

I heard a song off this album on the local public radio station this weekend, and I was instantly impressed. For those of you who don't know who Levon Helm is, he is the drummer for "The Band." It's not too often that a drummer's voice is identified with a band, but it's Helm's voice that you hear when you hear "Up On Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," two of the all-time greatest songs ever written. Helm is a 67 year old cancer survivor - he had throat cancer in the 90's. This is his first solo album since 1983, and it's a dandy. His unmistakable voice is still strong. If you like The Band, and specifically the songs that feature Helm on lead vocals, you'll love his new album.

The album was released in October of 2007, and it features Helm's daughter Amy, as well as Larry Campbell, longtime Dylan sideman, who also serves as producer for the album. Amy Helm is a member of the band "Ollabelle" that plays music that is similar to the style on this CD. Her voice is a perfect compliment to her father's, it's apparent that her appearance on the CD is no gimmick - she's a pro and she can sing. The CD is recorded, as near as I can tell, with all acoustic instruments. It was recorded in Helm's studio, which is housed in a barn on his property in Woodstock, NY.

Anyway, enough of the background. On to the CD. If I had to categorize the CD, I'd put it in the "Americana" or "Roots" genre. It is full of old-timey references, and the themes of the songs include wine, whiskey, guns, railroad, train robbery, farming (and the farmer's daughter), poverty, mining, Tennessee, mountains, women, and the blues. When Helm sings the songs on the album (all covers or traditional songs), it sounds authentic - there is nothing forced about his delivery. Starting with the first notes of "False Hearted Lover Blues," Helm takes you on a journey through the middle-American landscape, through farmlands, mountains, and rivers. The last song, "Wide River to Cross," is particularly poignant, as you can't help but listen to it with his cancer and his advancing age in the back of your mind (similar to Warren Zevon's entire final CD that he recorded after discovering he had terminal cancer).

One last thing. One of the most distinctive things about Levon Helm's singing voice is also one of my favorite things about it. He still pronounces words like "thing" as "thang." Like in "Dixie Down," when he sings "and the bells were rang-in'" and "the people were sang-in'." This CD contains mutiple instances for him to showcase this little quirk. I love it.

You can buy this CD direct from his site if you would like. It's been nominated for a Grammy. If I knew how to put music clips on this blog, I'd do it. Maybe I'll figure it out and add something later.

CD Review: "Raising Sand" - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

What? Robert Plant and Alison Krauss doing an album together? Could there be a more disparate pair of people to put together on an album? Well, T-Bone Burnett (O Brother, Counting Crows, Spinal Tap, Bruce Cockburn, etc) has done it again. Plant's vocals have never been better. He provides his characteristic vocal stylings on some of the songs (Gone, Gone, Gone), but on others (Through the Morning, Through the Night) he provides a gentle harmony with the angelic voice of Krauss. I never thought I'd hear Plant singing with pedal steel guitar accompaniment, but somehow it works. All of the songs are covers, and I can't find a bad one on the disc. T-Bone himself plays guitar on ten of the thirteen tracks. It's a surprisingly good combination of an unmistakable 1970's classic rock voice with the silky smooth vocal stylings and fiddle virtuosity of a bonafide bluegrass superstar. Only T-Bone Burnett could manage to pull this off. If you buy this one, you won't be disappointed.

Note: I can't manage to type T-Bone without thinking of the Seinfeld episode where George tries to give himself the nickname "T-Bone."