Three Snakes and One Charm (CD - 1996)

Additional personnel: Bruce Kaphan (pedal steel); Rick Taylor (banjo); Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Gary Shider, Barbara Mitchell, Erica Stewart (background vocals).

The Dirty Dozen: Gregory Davis, Roger Lewis, Effrem Towns, Revert Andrews, Kevin Harris (horns).

Producers: Jack Joseph Puig, The Black Crowes.

Recorded at Chateau De Le Crowe, Atlanta, Georgia.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

The Black Crowes: Chris Robinson, Steve Gorman, Eddie Harsch, Marc Ford , Rich Robinson, Johnny Colt.

Additional personnel: Bruce Kaphan (pedal steel guitar); Rick Taylor (banjo); Effrem Towns, Gregory Davis , Kevin Harris, Revert Andrews, Roger Lewis, Dirty Dozen (horns).

With Amorica, the Black Crowes began developing a distinctive sound, shading their Stonesy Southern boogie with a variety of rootsy and psychedelic overtones. But where Amorica was rich with kaleidescopic colors, Three Snakes and One Charm is stripped-down and direct. Sure, it has a punchy, muscular sound that is, if anything, more eclectic than its predecessor, but the production is distressingly monotonous and the songs lack strong hooks. Even with its faults, Three Snakes and One Charm is a winning album, mainly because the Black Crowes' musicianship continues to deepen -- the musical fusions and eclecticism are seamless, particularly from lead guitarist Rich Robinson. Their musicianship would be even more impressive if the songs were equal in quality. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Black Crowes have come a long way from the Faces/Stones clones accusations that plagued them upon their 1989 debut. THREE SNAKES AND ONE CHARM, their fourth album, continues their love affair with different facets of American music by liberally mixing genres with a proud disregard for current music trends (and for the slings and arrows of the band's short-sighted detractors).

The Crowes' Southern heritage pops up in a variety of ways on THREE SNAKES. "Let Me Share The Ride" mixes the New Orleans horns of the Dirty Dozen with a heavy guitar tone that evokes Crazy Horse. "Good Friday" takes the gospel/country route, with a rich crew of female backing singers and a pedal steel guitar (played by ex-American Music Clubber Bruce Kaphan). And on "(Only) Halfway To Everywhere" the Dirty Dozen aid the Crowes on a trip into funky territory that is more Family Stone than Rolling Stone. On that one, singer Chris Robinson holds his own in front of the backing vocals of Parliament-Funkadelic's Gary "Mudbone" Cooper and Gary Shider. minimize