cd reviews pop/rock

The Black Crowes, "Warpaint"

(Silver Arrow/Megaforce)

The Brothers Robinson -- dirtball guitarist Richard, swaggering singer Chris -- mine the hard coal of pop's southerly past to form diamonds of country-fied blues, gospel and hillbilly soul. That deeply nuanced burr and aged-whiskey whine seep through every chord and pore. From the rickety ruckus of "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution" to the open-prairie moan of "Whoa Mule," there's Mississippi mud in the blue water mixing the CD's true colors. Having slide guitarist Luther Dickinson on the Allmans-like ride helps Richard take to the starry "Movin' on Down the Line" with greasy ease. But it's Chris Robinson's beat-dog howl, snippy whinnying and hippie-ish cheer guiding tunes sadly ruminative ("Oh Josephine") and sunshiny ("Evergreen") through their dustiest paces that make "Warpaint" battered. It's just like the difference between an old leather jacket and a new distressed one. You can't fake beat. 5311

A.D. AMOROSI, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Kaki King, "Dreaming of Revenge" (Velour)

King is fighting against slightness. An acoustic guitarist of demonstrable skill -- tapping or slapping the strings, using the heel of her hand, deftly fingerpicking -- she turned a corner a few years ago, taking a few steps away from fiddliness. She started working with a band. She's still moving, although it's not clear where she'll end up. The technical displays are still there on "Dreaming of Revenge," which is more than half an instrumental record, and they can be jarring and disjunctive. King could have ended up in jazz, new age or metal but landed in indie rock, and her eager, fizzy playing feels at odds there; it lacks the studied slouchiness of the musicianship in that world. Here she mostly spools out her intricate patterns in drifting post-rock soundscapes, which are pleasant enough. But when she sings a good, selfish pop song, she's on to something else entirely. The breakup songs "Life Being What It Is" and "2 O'Clock," rendered in her small but determined voice, are full of power. They overshadow the rest of the record, put across strong melodies and still prove that she can play. King performs March 31 at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. 5312

BEN RATLIFF, NEW YORK TIMES

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