The Black Crows have always been out of fashion. When grunge was in they were country rock. When beating a tribal war drum was hip they were country rock. When serialism and the Vienna School was rad they were country rock. When country rock was bangin’ they were on a break. They just don’t give a shit. They produce the kind of mellow Americana that felt like a new dawn in the early 1970s before punk rock ruined everything. So it’s all twanging slide guitar, beautiful soulful grooves and Hammond organs. When they’re good they’re very, very good and sound like a fusion of the Stones, Lynard Skynard, Captain Beefheart and Gram Parsons, and when they’re bad they’re a bit like Aerosmith. Never in their 24 years of existence have they either changed their tune or sounded contrived, and I reckon they’re getting better all the time in their dependably unfashionable way.
Key Track: ‘There’s Gold in Them Hills’