With their roots firmly planted in the alluvial top soil of’70s blues rock, The Black Crowes are a classic hard rock riff band, where the groove–their weaving of electric guitars/keyboards, with bass-drum dances–is paramount, much as itwas for their mentors, Little Feat, The Faces and The Rolling Stones.

On AMORICA The Black Crowes stretch out their throbbing grooves and dense retro mixes with taut, wiry bursts of guitar courtesy of Rich Robinson and Marc Ford, over abumptious latin-inflected rock groove, as on “Gene”. Eddie Harsch’s rich Hammond B-3 and funky keyboard work adds body to each arrangement, while leather lunged Chris Robinson’s vocals are less a melodic focus than an extension on the blues riffing going on underneath. He’s a soul shouter in the best tradition of Gregg Allman, Stevie Winwood and Rod Stewart–of white rock singers influenced by the likes of Otis Redding and Ray Charles–as on “High Head Blues”.

At their best, as on the southern flavoured jams of “Wiser Time”, and the funky, lascivious “She Gave Good Sunflower”, the band evokes a powerful roots rock feel, with plenty of solo space for the guitars to stretch out. But on more laid back fare, such as the down home “Downtown Money” and the poignant “Ballad In Urgency”, The Black Crowes’ lyrics convey an enigmatic brand of romanticism that is more song-like than many of their arrangements.