Two years after the release of the Grammy-nominated Happiness Bastards (2024), The Black Crowes have returned with their highly-anticipated tenth studio album of original material, A Pound of Feathers. The album was released on Friday, March 13, 2026. How fitting of the previously volatile and vicious Robinson brothers to release it on the very lucky and not cursed at all, Friday the 13th. In an interview with Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now, lead vocalist Chris Robinson said the title, “A Pound of Feathers,” came from a Broadcast song called, “In Here the World Begins,” specifically during the song’s outro where a little boy says, “A pound of feathers or a pound of lead / Look out below, there mind your head.”
Much like Happiness Bastards, the new record was recorded in Nashville with Jay Joyce. However, it’d be an understatement to say the band lineup shrank quite a bit. While touring guitarist Nico Bereciartua contributed slide guitar parts and bassist Sven Pipien played bass on Happiness Bastards, the Robinson brothers decided to do things on their own. To be more specific, guitarist Rich Robinson played all the guitar and bass parts on A Pound of Feathers. Initially, they were going to bring in Bereciartua and Pipien to contribute on the record, but according to an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, the Robinson brothers were on a roll in the studio and decided to continue recording the album by themselves. Thankfully, they brought in touring drummer Cully Symington, touring keyboardist Erik Deutsch, and backing vocalists Mackenzie Adams and Lesley Grant to contribute their parts on the record.
Though I’m not happy about the Robinson brothers leaving Pipien and Bereciartua in the dust, I like the approach they utilized for A Pound of Feathers. According to an interview with Billboard, they entered the studio with bits and pieces, but no concrete song ideas. They wrote the songs spontaneously while working in the studio, which I kind of like because it’s very rock ‘n’ roll and I’m sick of bands who take forever to make new records, worrying about the production and writing hits that are going to resonate with their fans. In a sense, A Pound of Feathers is a continuation of Happiness Bastards. Not exactly a sequel, but it’s a record that makes sense for the Robinson brothers’ current state of their career. It’s no The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992) or Amorica (1994), but it’d be unrealistic for them to make another record that sounds like those records.
The opening track, “Profane Prophecy,” is heavily inspired by The Rolling Stones with its colorful riffs, swaggering groove, and dark and twisted imagery provided by Chris. “Took the meat out the mouth of a rabid dog”? “I eat casino breakfast off the kitchen floor”? My goodness! I have a love-hate relationship with this song because of the music video, which controversially only features the Robinson brothers, but I can still vibe with it from time to time. Besides the music video, my only other complaint about “Profane Prophecy” is it lacks the punch of “Bedside Manners,” the opening track for Happiness Bastards.
“Cruel Streak” is a midtempo rocker with a catchy chorus, a great groove, a killer guitar riff, and I love the lyrics, particularly this line: “To live the dream, you gotta feed the fiend, you gotta make the scene.” That sounds like such a rock ‘n’ roll line! “Pharmacy Chronicles” is one of the few tracks that showcases the Robinson brothers’ Americana roots with some country twang. It’s A Pound of Feathers’ version of “Wilted Rose.” The keyboard parts are excellent, Rich’s slide guitar melodies are gorgeous, and unintentionally, Chris pays tribute to “Welcome to the Goodtimes” from By Your Side (1999) with the line, “the good times never end.” “High & Lonesome” has this cool and trippy, laid-back vibe that reminds me of Rival Sons’ “Bird in the Hand.” I love the acoustic guitar melodies, it’s got a driving simple beat, and unintentionally, Chris pays tribute to the title track for By Your Side with the very last line in the song, “I knew I’d always be by your side.”
“Queen of the B-Sides” also showcases the Robinson brothers’ Americana roots and Chris unleashes his country persona with his vocal melodies. Rich effortlessly provides the vocal harmonies, for those who are fans of “Wiser Time” and “Good Friday.” By the way, “Queen of the B-Sides,” what a freaking cool song title! “It’s Like That” is one of my favorite songs on A Pound of Feathers because it’s such a fun song, the chorus is infectious, and there’s no funny business; it’s just pure and gritty rock ‘n’ roll. Rich lays it all out there with nasty, bluesy slide guitar work and if you listen closely, there’s a tree frog croaking during the breakdown for the guitar solo.
“You Call This a Good Time?” has this dirty and ferocious guitar riff that reminds me of Rush’s “Stick It Out” bizarrely enough. The entire song drips in swagger and attitude. The closing track, “Doomsday Doggerel,” is probably the heaviest song the Robinson brothers have ever written, stylistically and lyrically. It’s also the most politically-charged song they’ve ever written, given it’s about the world’s troubling current state. Think of The Black Crowes meeting the Ozzy Osbourne era of Black Sabbath. Not sure what possessed Rich to write such a mentally disturbing riff, but I’m here for it!
For the most part, I think The Black Crowes’ A Pound of Feathers is a very consistent rock ‘n’ roll record and some of the riffs are stellar. However, given Bereciartua and Pipien were left out of the recording process, the album is missing some pizzazz and feistiness. For example, “Do the Parasite!” sounds like a leftover “Sting Me” riff and I’ve heard Bereciartua nail the guitar solo for the latter; he’s phenomenal. Unfortunately, when I heard Rich’s guitar solo for “Do the Parasite!,” I was very underwhelmed. It’s true that the Robinson brothers aren’t obligated to make another The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion and Amorica, but they set such high standards for themselves with those records that I was expecting to be blown away with A Pound of Feathers. I hate to say it, but the record really does sound like the Robinson brothers did it by themselves without any help.
I know I previously mentioned Bereciartua only did the slide guitar parts for Happiness Bastards, but at least he contributed in some way. Plus, Pipien is not only a solid bass player, but he is an exceptional vocalist. When I saw The Black Crowes live in December 2024, Pipien and Rich shared beautiful vocal harmonies together during Rich’s cover of The Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Christine’s Tune.” Everything from Shake Your Money Maker (1990) to Before the Frost…Until the Freeze (2009) sounds like band-effort albums because despite the Robinson brothers writing the songs, each member contributed parts and ideas of their own for the music. Please ignore the fact that Rich did most of the bass parts on Three Snakes and One Charm, and most of the guitar and bass parts on Lions (2001). A Pound of the Feathers sounds like a solo-effort album because Bereciartua and Pipien weren’t given opportunities to add their own input or ideas for the music, which is a shame given how talented they are.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Rich is an amazing guitar player. Heck, his guitar playing on By Your Side is phenomenal! But the Robinson brothers recording A Pound of Feathers mostly by themselves gives them a bad rep on their image as public figures, making them come across as unlikeable and somewhat insane. I get that they are perfectionists and like things done a certain way, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help sometimes. Rich has said a million times that he and Chris chose not to reunite the classic Black Crowes lineup because they didn’t want to be a “cash grab” where they do one reunion tour and toxic drama ensues afterwards. However, they would’ve been better off touring and recording under the name, “Brothers of a Feather,” rather than “The Black Crowes,” if the Robinson brothers wanted to do everything themselves anyways. By the way, would it kill them to include the album title AND band name on the album cover next time?!?!
Sorry for that massive rant. I’ll still support The Black Crowes because I like the music and I’m glad the Robinson brothers are getting along now, but I’m worried, yet intrigued, about what they’re going to do next. I’ll give The Black Crowes’ A Pound of Feathers a rating of 3.85 out of 5 stars. It’s worth a listen for “Doomsday Doggerel” alone!
Album Tracklist
1. Profane Prophecy
2. Cruel Streak
3. Pharmacy Chronicles
4. Do the Parasite!
5. High & Lonesome
6. Queen of the B-Sides
7. It’s Like That
8. Blood Red Regrets
9. You Call This a Good Time?
10. Eros Blues
11. Doomsday Doggerel
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Lana
Lana Teramae | Me, Myself and Time 
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