Search - Black Crowes :: Lions

Stick to blues-rock, guys....

Baberufus | West Jordan, UT USA | 05/27/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am totally revising my review of this album here. I absolutely slammed it before, but after a fellow reviewer suggested that I rethink my opinion of it by giving it a second listen, I obliged and am indeed now not so negative of it. There are some decent cuts on here, no question, and some of them sound like the old Black Crowes. Other cuts, though, sound as if the Crowes are trying to fit into the "Nu metal" scene that was so prevalent in 2001. Ehh, doesn't work, not for me anyway. Pretty lame. And Chris does not sound as if he's really in his element of those contemporary-sounding cuts, either.



But there is, I've decided, enough good cuts to warrant adding this CD to your Crowes collection. I guess any band has every right to explore other areas and try to fit into the musical styles of the day, especially if it's only to a limited extent. I feel bad about trashing this CD in my previous review, so hopefully this revised, friendlier one will redeem myself somewhat... :-)"

Now For Something Completely Different

Richard Thompson | El Paso, Texas | 10/17/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Lions - (2001) 13 Tracks *** (55:09)



Lions has the most Amazon customer reviews of any of the bands albums. Does that mean it is the most popular? Hardly, I have found that the most "controversial" or flat out hated album will get the most reviews (similar to Metallica's St. Anger). Now, by looking at the most recent reviews of Lions, some people do dis-like this album, but I think the controversy is simply due to this album being so different from what most "Fans" think the classic Black Crowes sound should be, that was well established across a trilogy of albums, beginning with The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, and culminating with Three Snakes and a Charm.



I have to admit that I also did not warm up to this album on its first few listens, and I eventually put it away in disgust. My interest in the Black Crowes did not awaken again until the Rhino Records release of The Lost Crowes in September of 2006 and the simultaneous release of the Live DVD of the bands 2005 Reunion Tour. Since then we have had two more studio releases and an upcoming tour. While recently listening to their back catalog I decided to review the early albums in order and now I find myself staring at Lions and thinking "What am I going to say?" I've hardly listened to this thing and I don't really like it. So I have given it a few fresh spins while working on the computer and had a few notes of my previous impressions of the individual songs. So, here goes.



1. Midnight from the Inside Out - (***) typical Crowes Heavy Rocker with a dirty guitar sound that represents their trademark sound. A decent mid-tempo song with lots of "new" sounds in it.

2. Lickin' - (**) strange guitar effects and quirky vocals. Whoa, is this really the Black Crowes?

3. Come On - (***) An up tempo rocker with hippy lyrics.

4. No Use Lying - (***) slower and melodic

5. Losing My Mind - (**) Acoustic number that doesn't quite live up to its potential. The strings in the background just don't fit with the Crowes sound.

6. Ozone Mama - (*) "Talked" vocals at the beginning combined with old-style blues. Reminds me of the Three Snakes album.

7. Greasy Grass River - (**) "Beatlesqe"

8. Soul Singing - (***) some acoustic guitars, it's got a "revival" feel to it.

9. Miracle to Me - (***½) Nice slow acoustic ballad.

10. Young Man, Old Man - (***) Psychedelic and quite experimental w/ Chorus vocals.

11. Cosmic Friend - (**½) Whoa, very cosmic. Reminds me of Under a Mountain.

12. Cypress Tree - (***) Dynamic Rocker w/acoustic & electric guitars. More typical of the Black Crowes style

13. Lay It All On Me - (**½) More laid back and introspective with a good basic guitar solo at the ending.



Using my rating scale (*-hate it, **-not very good, ***-it's OK, ****-good stuff, *****-Great) the songs off Lions average out to just under 3 stars, so that's what I gave it.



Something else to mention regarding the Lions album is that Audley Freed was brought in on Lead Guitar on this release. What I don't understand is why he wasn't let loose to rip it up. If you want to hear what Mr. Freed is capable of with an electric guitar, look no further than his former band Cry of Love. They released two albums in the 90's before calling it quits. The debut "Brother" is excellent. I am really glad I got turned on to it from other Black Crowes fans. They also had a follow-up (with a different lead vocalist) in 1997 called Diamonds & Debris. Both of these cds should be sought out and explored as they provide some of the best guitar-driven blues-rock with a hard-rock edge to ever come out in the 1990's.

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