Review: Black Crowes Comeback Continues With New LP ‘A Pound Of Feathers’

The Black Crowes have had such a volatile history, you can perhaps understand why I was worried that 2024’s spectacular comeback album Happiness Bastards might be a one-off reunion. It had been 15 years since their last album (not counting Croweology an album of acoustic reworking of previous material). And the Brothers Robinson, in the fine tradition of brothers forming bands, are a volatile pair.

Happiness Bastards is an album that seems to grow stronger to me with every listen. I was hopeful we’d hear more from the Crowes and was delighted when I saw they were putting out a follow up LP, A Pound Of Feathers this year. I saw an interview where Chris Robinson said something about how they recorded it over 10 days, just set up and banged it out.

Of course, that news set my expectations afire because that was the same way they recorded their sophomore album, the brilliant Southern Harmony album. Luckily, I kept my expectations in check because A Pound Of Feathers is another great Crowes album, but it’s not the masterpiece that Southern Harmony is.

The Black Crowes line up has once again changed. Chris Robinson (vocals) and Rich Robinson (guitar/bass) used to fight each other but now it appears it’s them against the world. The only remaining player from the prior record is Erik Deutsch on keyboards. Rich actually plays all the guitars and bass on the record which came as a surprise to me. Cully Symington is listed in the liner notes as the drummer. Augmenting things on backing vocals are Mackenzie Adams, Leslie Grant. Nashville based producer Jay Joyce is back at the helm as producer.

As I mentioned earlier, this is another great rock n roll/blues rock album. Like its predecessor, it works the strange alchemy of me liking it immediately but also growing on me with each repeated listen. It’s great to hear these guys – even if they can’t keep a consistent line up – banging out this kind of rock n roll in 2026.

Two of the three tracks that kick off the album were the previously released singles “Profane Prophecy” and “Pharmacy Chronicles” which I wrote about when they came out so I won’t belabor those tracks. I’ll just say that “Profane Prophecy” is a great rock stomper and “Pharmacy Chronicles” is an acoustic based, classic Crowes song. “The good times never end…”

Sandwiched between the first two singles is another highlight “Cruel Streak” which just might be my favorite rock track on the album. It’s heavy and very riff forward. It scratches my hard rock itch, if you will. “Do The Parasite!” is another highlight, despite the unfortunate title. It’s a rock track that struts onto the speakers and shakes you by the shoulder. Rich is really playing some great guitar here.

The first half of the record ends with two tracks that seem to blend into each other and these tracks for me are the emotional heart of the record. “High And Lonesome” is a country ballad that comes off sort of jaunty, with sad lyrics, “Try to keep what’s buried in the ground, And cry until the walls all tumble down, And I make a high and lonesome sound.” It’s a brilliant song and should likely be on every one of their greatest hits collections from here on out. I can’t overstate how much I love this track.

It blends into a short (2:02) track, “Queen Of The B-Sides” another acoustic song it’s more of a bluesy track. It’s really stripped down which makes it even more gripping. Taken with the wonderful “High And Lonesome,” again, it’s the heart of the record for me.

The back side of the album starts with a trio of great Crowes rock songs, “It’s Like That,” a fast paced rocker; “Blood Red Regrets” which is heavy with the riffs that almost play like a dirge and might be another candidate for my favorite rocker on the record; and finally “You Call This A Good Time?” that’s another rocker that’s actually… quite a good time to listen to. These three rockers, after the two acoustic tracks is where this album just took off for me.

“Eros Blues” is buried near the end of the record and starts like a slow blues tune until the guitars explode near the end. The Crowes are really stretching out their sound on some of these tracks. Speaking of which, the last track is really a different direction for these guys, “Doomsday Doggerel.” “Doomsday Doggerel” is almost Zeppelinesque in its heavy dirge-like vibe. It’s almost got a psychedelic feel to me. It’s a great album ender.

While the Crowes these days are just the Robinson Brothers, they’re still making a wonderful blues rock racket. We don’t get enough of this kind of music anymore. If these two brothers are the Crowes now, as long as they keep making great records like this one, I’m here for it. This is a great Crowes album.

Turn this one up loud, it’s probably one of the best of the rock n roll records you’re going to hear this year. Cheers!