Sea Of Tranquility



The Web Source for Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal & Jazz-Fusion
  Search   in       
Main Menu




Black Crowes: Warpaint Live

Wasting no time since the 2008 release of their excellent Warpaint CD, The Black Crowes have returned with a live CD that presents that entire previous studio album and more on the appropriately titled Warpaint Live. This is not a new practice for bands to do in their career by delivering a studio effort and then releasing a concert CD or DVD film of the tour that supported it and such things have become commonplace for bands like Iron Maiden, Rush and Dream Theater and while The Black Crowes are very musically different from these acts, it was only a matter of time before the others followed suit on a usually successful practice. The double CD effort does its job by delivering the full Warpaint CD on the first disc from beginning to end and having heard this studio album I had to say that it works even better in the live sense. The Black Crowes are probably one of the finest artisans of the Blues Rock genre and it seems that when they get on the stage that they always manage to deliver a solid good time. If you don't believe me just listen to the crowd response between the song breaks. Warpaint was an album that very simply works well as a single piece of music to listen to and by doing it in its entirety in the live sense the band shows their own strong belief in this full body of work also. Favorites of mine come via the albums opening track "Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution" and closer of "Whoa Mule" on the live "Warpaint" part of the show. From the sound of it, this is a show that I know that I would have enjoyed attending and it's the pureness and richness of musical tone from the Robinson brothers who win me over with note after note. Chris Robinson as a vocalist is really one of the best that this genre has ever produced and he sings with such passion that it's like a tangible thing.

The second CD finds the band delivering a bunch of covers and rare tracks and these are equally excellent for the listeners who have this one cranking on their stereo. It begins with a tribute to Robert Johnson and then gives you two rarities from the Crowes archive that are surely worthy of our attention. There is a great number originally penned by Clapton in "Don't Know Why" and a powerful Stones number via "Torn and Frayed" that finds Rich Robinson delivering an amazing guitar solo that would no doubt impress the Stones axe slinging Richards himself. This release is a nice companion piece to the recently released Brothers Of A Feather CD and DVD that the pair had given us about a year ago. There is a booklet that lines out the tracks and also has some interesting notes that lead us into the pages. There are no lyrics provided and the photos are rather sparse but that should not affect your purchase. If you have followed and enjoyed anything that the band has produced over the course of their career and still are a firm believer in their way of doing things then Warpaint Live will only strengthen your zeal for the band. One can only hope that this gets delivered on a full DVD film as well and at the time of my examining the CD I was not aware about this being the case or not. Only time will tell.


Track Listing:

  1. Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution
  2. Walk Believer Walk
  3. Oh, Josephine
  4. Evergreen
  5. Wee Who See The Deep
  6. Locust Street
  7. Movin' On Down The Line
  8. Wounded Bird
  9. God's Got It
  10. There's Gold In Them Hills
  11. Whoa Mule
  12. Poor Elijah – Tribute To Johnson (Medley)
  13. Darling Of The Underground Press
  14. Back Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye
  15. Don't Know Why
  16. Torn And Frayed
  17. Hey Grandma

Added: June 2nd 2009
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2550
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend Send to a Friend ]

  

[ Back to the Reviews Index | Post Comment ]

» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Black Crowes: Warpaint Live
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-06-02 20:47:54
My Score:

If you've ever doubted The Black Crowes' merits as a modern day Southern Rock 'n' blues 'n' jam outfit, then give Warpaint Live a listen. Two CDs of groovin' tunes littered with plenty of fire, soulful vocals, stinging slide guitar, and extended arrangements. Call it their version of Live at the Fillmore or One More From the Road, but what it is is prime Black Crowes in all their glory.

First disc is the live version of their Warpaint album, and on the stage these tunes take on a new life, even more gritty, jammy, and energized than their studio counterparts, complete with smoldering slide guitar licks, swirling organ, and Chris Robinson's passionate vocals. Don't believe my words folks, simply spin "Walk Believer Walk" for proof of the Southern Rock power that this outfit is crankin' out here, this track an emotional roller coaster of blistering guitar work, commanding organ, and gut wrenching vocals. Other highlights include the funky honky tonk of "Wee Who See the Deep", the mysterious Led Zeppelin meets the Allman Brothers psychedelia of "Movin' On Down the Line", and the searing, almost metallic stomp of "Wounded Bird", a tune that could give Govt Mule a run for their money.

Over on disc 2 you get some covers and old bluesy favorites, with plenty of red hot slide guitar from Rich Robinson and Luther Dickinson,especially on "Poor Elijah/Tribute to Johnson" and the rollicking "Darling of the Underground Press". To top it all off, you get a splendid acoustic/electric version of the Rolling Stones' "Torn and Frayed", with Chris really doing the song justice and Adam MacDougall's majestic piano work adding a nice touch. Closer "Hey Grandma" is a driving rocker, crunchy guitar riffs and powerful organ give this tune an almost Deep Purple type feel, and it closes out the set in style.

In all honesty, I've not paid enough attention to these guys in recent times, but this live set reaffirms my earlier beliefs that The Black Crowes are and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with. Highly recommended.



© 2004 Sea Of Tranquility
For information regarding where to send CD promos and advertising, please see our FAQ page.
If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.
Please see our Policies Page for Site Usage, Privacy, and Copyright Policies.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all other content © Sea of Tranquility

SoT is Hosted by SpeedSoft.com