While many bands endure turmoil throughout a lengthy career, few bands have faced the level of hatred and anguish that the Robinson brothers have given one another; both publicly and privately over the course of the last few decades.
Even the Gallagher brothers have a nightmare story of watching the two birds of a feather tear one another limb from limb.
After a half decade apart, solo projects and spin offs, the brothers set aside their differences for the love of music and proved their ability to not only overcome, but also heal.
Following a lengthy tour, celebrating their debut LP Shake Your Money Maker, The Black Crowes made a full return with 2024’s Happiness Bastards.
While that album was certainly met with mixed reviews from fans, a lot of us were happy enough to know that the Crowes still had a slimmer of hope.
Now in 2026, we see the release of A Pound Of Feathers (Silver Arrow Records), the brothers’ second round back after a lengthy hiatus.
While they still aren’t what they used to be, A Pound Of Feathers is undoubtedly closer to home than Happiness Bastards, and to me, that’s a great sign.
The Black Crowes come out swinging with “Profane Prophecy,” a loud and raucous riff-fueled return to form. It feels youthful and fun, but all the while the slightest bit hollow. Hired guns will never match the energy of the original line up, but they can get damn close.
“Cruel Streak” is firey and fun with its massive, almost Zeppelin-esque pounding drums. If this track shows one thing, it’s that the Robinson Bros are still capable of creating some good old rock ‘n roll. The lead guitar is fairly simplistic, but infectious.
With “Pharmacy Chronicles” we get a little slowed down and smoked out; something I definitely yearn for more of with the Crowes in their current form. While making riffed out rock-and-roll has always been an early staple of the band, something about reeling it in always leads to something magical, and “Pharmacy Chronicles” is one of those rare moments. Admittedly, this track feels closer to the Chris Robinson Brotherhood than it does The Black Crowes, but it shows growth, in my humble opinion.
While “Do The Parasite!” DOES contain some of the most fun guitar work of the entire LP, it does feel a little honed in. It’s not bad, it’s honestly a solid track, it just misses out a tad on the magic of late-era Crowes, and I’ll be the first to admit that may just be a personal problem.
It’s important not to ignore all the years spent growing individually, while the brothers felt their feud, and the bodies of work that both the Robinsons leaned into, while apart. That being said, “High And Lonesome” feels so much more CRB-esque as well, and while it is a fairly good track, it’s a fact that’s hard to ignore.
One of the most beautiful and sensible tracks on the album comes in the form of “Queen Of The B-Sides,” which feels like a beautiful follow-up track to the vibes we received immediately pre-hiatus on Before The Frost. The harmonies are gorgeous, the slow tickled keys add to the melody in such a subtle, but perfect way. It’s such a short track too, clocking in at just 2 minutes and 2 seconds. It’s short, sweet and hopeful.
The bass work on “It’s Like That” is some of the best on the entire album—it’s a tad closer to the forefront and really helps the track stand out. It feels somewhere between a raunchier Rolling Stones and peak-era Faces.
The Crowes’ Jimmy Page-era shines through heavily on “Blood Red Regrets,” between the riffs and the pounding and well-balanced drums, it stands as one of the best outright rock ‘n roll tracks across the entire LP. It feels like an old school deep-cut, like it could’ve been cut from the Amorica years. The lead guitar serves more as an enhancement to the melody and is spacious and stoned. The acoustic switch halfway through is undeniably amazing. THIS feels like peak Crowes.
The riffage of “You Call This a Good Time” is again VERY Rolling Stones. It manages to not be a mimic, but rather a call back. It quickly departs from the main riff and turns into its own thing, and it’s hard to not be infected by its melody.
Slow, spacey and southern is the initial pace of “Eros Blues,” and it’s so god damned fitting. It also calls back vaguely to the Amorica era before falling into something spacey and atmospheric; the vibe switch is admittedly impressive. If you’re looking for a perfectly balanced Crowes’ track that’s new to you, this is it, beyond a shadow of a doubt. It’s a culmination of so many sounds the aging band has adopted over the last thirty odd years. The lead guitar is in-your-face, but so insanely simple. The harmonies are absolutely stellar, creating a peak moment throughout the LP.
Finally, we wrap up with “Doomsday Doggerel,” which is again, leaning towards Zeppelin—it is aggressively bluesy, in the best of ways. The main riff is simple, but the tone is so stellar. Chris sounds fantastic here, it’s the perfect way to give a great ending to what feels like a genuine return to form. Spacious, sweaty, rocking, dirty. This is modern Crowes at a genuine peak.
Happiness Bastards gave us something completely new, but A Pound Of Feathers picks back up on so many fan-favorite time pieces that it makes such a special front-to-back listen.
If The Black Crowes weren’t back already, they sure as hell are now.
The album releases this Friday, March 13.
Favorite Tracks
“Queen Of The B-Sides”
“Doomsday Doggerel”
“Blood Red Regrets”
Rating
3.8/5
Tracklist
- Profane Prophecy
- Cruel Stream
- Pharmacy Chronicles
- Do The Parasite!
- High & Lonesome
- Queen Of The B-Sides
- It’s Like That
- Blood Red Regrets
- You Call This A Good Time?
- Eros Blues
- Doomsday Doggerel
Get Album
https://orcd.co/poundoffeathers
Tour Dates
Connect With The Black Crowes
Comments
Post a Comment