Black Crowes – Warpaint

What a pleasant surprise this album was when it arrived in the spring of 2008. I had stopped listening to the band after Amorica (1994) – although I did buy the following three albums, they never resonated with me. Eventually, the band went on hiatus, but in the mid-2000s, they started touring and found the magic to record Warpaint. That album became my favorite Crowes album, and I had the good fortune to see the band touring in support of it at the Minnesota State Fair in the fall of 2008.

Warpaint sounded great on first listen, and it has never gotten old, revealing itself to this day. I loved that the CD was released as a Digipak (I hate jewel cases). Later, during the vinyl renaissance, I picked it up on vinyl. I recently picked up a lovely Red/White Splatter vinyl reissue from Vinyl Record Dude for the Desert 🌵 Session.

Warpaint reenergized the band by the addition of guitarist Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) and the then relatively unknown Adam MacDougall (later in Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Circles Around the Sun) on keys. This was a short-lived but excellent version of the band. The album was recorded quickly and without distractions at Allaire Studios in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. Looking at photos of the studio, it seems idyllic.

The band is its usual blues-rock self, but it also has a hippie jamband vibe and, at times, foreshadows the Chris Robinson Brotherhood (which was clearly a jamband). The album is an example of how the Crowes are the missing link between Aerosmith and jambands.

Chris Robinson’s vocals are at their peak. Rich Robinson has always relied on a team approach to guitar and is clearly inspired by playing with Luther Dickinson. The Brothers Robinson’s songwriting is the best of their career. Adam MacDougall’s keys add wonderful textures. The new blood was clearly a spark for the band; they were smart enough to go off the grid to record with focus and no distractions. It worked. The results are bluesy, psychedelic, and Americana – sometimes in the same song.

Side One

“Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” is a high-energy blues-rock track. I love the song, but I have no idea what it’s about lyrically. The additions of Dickinson and MacDougall are a pleasant update to the Crowes’ sound. Not a radical change, but just different enough that it is clear there are some tasty new ingredients.

“Walk Believer Walk” is a slow blues. I love the lead guitar in the left channel and a dirty rhythm guitar in the right. Lyrically, it sounds like the narrator is mocking someone’s piety. Chris singing reminds me of the Jeff Beck Group era, Rod Stewart.

“Oh Josephine” is another slow blues. Lyrically, it is a drug song, and the narrator is no longer having fun with drugs – now he is in trouble, and it is messing up his life. Music appears to be the only salvation. Chris’ vocals are wonderfully longing. Although you can hear Chris’ vocal influences, this is pure Chris Robinson.

“Evergreen” opens with a big fat riff that could be out of the Led Zeppelin catalog, but the band quickly becomes the Crowes. Vocally, Chris evokes Robert Plant, and you can see why Jimmy Page wanted to play with these guys. Lyrically, this is a song of the narrator’s infatuation with a love interest.

“Wee Who See the Deep” sounds like an early ’70s Stones track, except for Chris’ distinctive vocals. Lyrically, I feel existential dread.

Side Two

“Locust Street” – On this song, Chris sounds like a country-rock Rod Stewart. The arrangement is acoustically focused. I sense the song is about how our narrator has been on a dead end, and a new love has redeemed him.

“Movin’ On Down the Line” sounds like a template for what Chris and MacDougall would do in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood a few years later. MacDougall’s keys are transcendent. Bar band Chris is rockin’ here. The song sounds like a mid-70s stoner anthem – and also pretty Stonesy. A similar vibe to “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” once the song gets moving in the second half. Our narrator has been in a rut, and it’s time to move to the next chapter. A short but excellent harp solo shines midway through the track. This may be my favorite track on the album.

“Wounded Bird” classic Black Crowes: big riffs, sassy vocals, and a rockin’ arrangement.

“God’s Got It” is an excellent cover of a gospel-blues song by Reverend Charlie Jackson. The cover is a louder and more rockin’ version of the original. The Crowes grungy blues remind the Black Keys and the White Stripes that the Crowes know the game.

“There’s Gold in Them Hills” sounds like Bob Dylan meets the Rolling Stones—gorgeous acoustic-focused song.

“Whoa Mule” intro is like a work song, then it eases into a country blues. Very light and airy. Sounds like it is an ancient Celtic folk song. The melody has traces of the banjo classic “Whoa Mule” by Raymond Fairchild.

Overall, this is an essential title in the Black Crowes’ catalog. It is not a significant departure from their sound, but a perfect execution of it.

I am a fan of the album art for Warpaint from Joshua Marc Levy. It is a collection of surreal characters and the band members.