Here's a concept- basically, the Crowes record a double album live in the studio. They release one disc as a hard copy and the other half is available for free download. Great promotional tool, now- onto the music.You'll find the same warm, electric blues southern rock that you have came to love about the Black Crowes. The Dylan-like lyrical storytelling of people wrestling through hardship to find love. Except that unlike Dylan, the Crowes always get back to the chorus. Which is fine, but you know, except on their more psychedelic stuff, you can basically count on: verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus/chorus. Even on the 8 minute song. It just adds an air of safety around the band.
And then on track 5, they break out a disco number. It seems out of place. So much so, that Rich - the brother that doesn't dance - takes his name off the writing credit. But it's only out of place until the lyric kicks in and you realize it's a coke tune.
By the time I finish disc one, while I've had a very pleasurable listening experience, I realize that I'm not going to be purchasing any of these songs. It's really just the failing of double albums in general. The good songs end up sounding too similar to themselves, while they fight against clichés like being set adrift on an ocean searching for the safety of shore. One song sounds just like "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", another song, "Dixie Chicken".
The second disc gives us an interesting sitar-Irish-jig thing in "Aimless Peacock" and "Garden Gate" is straight-up country hoe-down. And that's how it is for most of the 2nd disc. Pretty straight-forward old-time country. Slow ballads, waltzes. I could see this getting great accolades from people who are bigger fans of this kind of music. But I'm going to stick with their higher velocity stuff. (3 of 5 stars)
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