Way back in 1997, in one of the first reviews that ever ran on this site, I declared the following:

“[The Black Crowes’s] next work, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, sounded like a band trying to deal with the sudden wave of success, and they weren’t handling it well. The album, in turn, suffered.”

A great amount of time has passed since I wrote those words, and I recently decided to pull off the shelves of the Pierce Memorial Archives the sophomore effort from Chris & Rich Robinson and crew. Certainly the passage of nearly three decades would provide me with a clearer insight into just what they were trying to accomplish, right?

It’s not that their previous effort, Shake Your Moneymaker, was written to capture the pop sensibilities of the record-buying public. Certain songs, like “Twice As Hard,” “Jealous Again” and even the ballad “She Talks To Angels,” however, just seemed to fit that particular niche, bringing the band an incredible level of success right out of the gate.

For The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, it’s almost like the brothers Robinson looked back at their previous work and said, “ Now what?” They could have continued down a radio-friendly road, or they could throw caution to the wind and present music they liked and challenge the audience to accept it on the band’s own terms.

It is that second path they chose—and that made all the difference. The follow-up album is nowhere as approachable as their debut was, almost mocking the listener to follow them along this largely unplowed path. And, while there are moments of greatness still to be heard, it’s not as strong of an effort overall in comparison.

It didn’t help that the band had undergone their first significant lineup change; out was guitarist Jeff Cease, and in was Marc Ford. Also in was keyboardist Eddie Harsch, who took over for session svengali Chuck Leavell.

Look, there’s no denying the four singles off this disc marked some of their best work (though I’d argue to the death to this day that “Remedy” was not the best choice for leadoff single). “Hotel Illness” has enough of a “Jealous Again” vibe to keep the listener comfortable, and is overall a very strong track, while “Sting Me” and “Thorn In My Pride” both stand out as well.

Surprisingly, one of the better tracks never got selected as a single; “My Morning Song” has more than a few flashes of that early brilliance that the Black Crowes became known for.

Regrettably, the remaining half of The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion lacks that flash and power. “Black Moon Creeping” isn’t terrible, but doesn’t do enough to stand out among the disc’s 10 tracks. “Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye” feels like it drags on for far too long, and “Sometimes Salvation” has the vibe of something that might have been otherwise relegated to a b-side. The choice of covering Bob Marley’s “Time Will Tell” to close the album is a questionable one, as the musical style just doesn’t feel like it fits the Crowes well. (I’d say something about relying on a cover, but Shake Your Moneymaker became well known for their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle.”)

It could well be that The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion is the kind of disc that has to grow on the listener—and I’m not blind to the fact this disc has made several “best of” lists. But, if I haven’t warmed up to this album after over 30 years, it’s hard to make that claim for anyone else walking into this disc. It certainly has its moments, but remains a disappointing follow-up from The Black Crowes.

Rating: B-

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