The Black Crowes Rock (Funk) Out

The Black Crowes released “Before The Frost” at the end of August.

This eighth studio album from the Southern blues rockers, the follow-up to 2008’s ‘Warpaint’, is a double album with a difference – half of it is only available online. Recorded live in the studio in front of an invited audience of fans, the CD version of ‘Before The Frost’ includes a code allowingpurchasers to download a whole second album, ‘Until The Freeze’. Musically, the band are never going to reinvent the wheel, but the live setting breathes a raw immediacy into these new, classic-style rock tunes.

Before the Frost…, and its corresponding free album …Until The Freeze, were recorded over a series of five nights at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. Although both are studio albums, all the new material was performed and recorded in front of an intimate audience of the band’s fans, making them a part of The Black Crowes musical history.

The innovative technique of inviting fans into the studio as part of the process during recording is a rare experience.

Before the Frost… features eleven new and previously unreleased Black Crowes songs including Good Morning Captain, I Ain’t Hiding, Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love), and other original songs that will serve to spotlight the bands ability to make emotional connections through their music. The free album …Until The Freeze is a nine-song collection featuring eight new original Black Crowes songs plus a cover version of the Stephen Stills classic So Many Times.

A limited edition vinyl release of Before The Frost…Until The Freeze, featuring all 20 tracks, will also be available on September 1, 2009.

Chris Robinson conceived the concept of Before the Frost…Until The Freeze.
“I think we fulfilled a musical commitment to continue on the golden road of artistic independence. Approaching 20 years into our careers, we still are ambitious enough to push ourselves to create something unique that we have never done before.”

The track which has perhaps received the most publicity is “I Ain’t Hiding” with it’s out and out funk/disco riff.

“I Ain’t Hiding” – The Black Crowes

Here are a couple of  earlier examples of the same “concept”