Brothers of a Feather

After a long hiatus that lasted for much of the first half of the 2000s, Chris and Rich Robinson started to reunite the Black Crowes in 2005, but before the full-fledged reunion really took flight, the siblings took off on a 2006 tour billed as Brothers of a Feather, releasing an album of the same name the following summer. Compiled of highlights from their three-night stint at the Roxy in Los Angeles, Brothers of a Feather does distinguish itself from the growing list of official live Black Crowes-related projects just by its intimate nature: hearing the brothers Robinson alone (it's not quite acoustic, since Rich often plays an otherwise unadorned electric) is unique and surprisingly revelatory, illustrating that both Chris and Rich can be sensitive interpreters when stripped down to the bone. But even if there are many soft, almost folky moments -- including a good cover of John Martyn's "Over the Hill," Rich's solo spotlight "Forgiven Song," and a winding version of "Driving Wheel" -- there's plenty of grit and good vibes here, best heard on the roaring opener, "Hosehead," and a down-n-dirty "Darling of the Underground Press." Most of Brothers of a Feather works a middle ground between the ruminative and the rowdy, whether it's on a beautiful reading of Lowell George's "Roll Um Easy" or an epic take on their own "Thorn in My Pride," which proves that they can find a new spin on their old warhorses. And that sentiment applies to Brothers of a Feather as a whole: it's familiar in its sound yet fresh in its approach and certainly worth a listen for Black Crowes fans, no matter if they're hardened hardcore fans or fans who are a bit less dedicated yet no less enamored of the Robinsons' old-time rock & roll. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide