Released: 1990
Tracks: Twice as Hard; Jealous Again; Sister Luck; Could I’ve Been So Blind; Seeing Things; Hard to Handle; Thick N’ Thin; She Talks to Angels; Struttin’ Blues; Stare it Cold; (hidden track)
Best track: I have no idea…Hard to Handle, She Talks to Angels and Seeing Things are all fantastic
Tracks to skip: Could I’ve Been So Blind & Struttin’ Blues aren’t too hot
I have to admit, it was refreshing to hear stripped down and honest rock music when this came out in 1990. The Black Crowes sounded like a regular band that came from a garage and played in crappy clubs, but still knew how to play their instruments. And write good songs. It was a relief to hear rock music so direct and honest. Not to say all other music around this time was indirect and dishonest, but it was the time of glam metal and typical sugary pop music. So yeah, this album really stood out back then. And guess what? It still holds up. There are a few songs that I outright skip and some (Thick n’ Thin & Stare it Cold) that aren’t the best ever, but for the most part it holds up. True, any band that can do such a jamming version of Hard to Handle and write songs like She Talks to Angels will be forgiven if they have some clunkers. I’m usually not too fond of blues rock stuff, but this album transcends that genre. I don’t play this as often as I used to (because, let’s be honest, this album is now Classic Rock and you can hear a lot of these songs all the time on the radio), but when I do, it jams and makes me smile. There’s not much else I can say except that I recommend it.
Rating: 88
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