Tuesday April 26, 2022 “She Talks to Angels” The Black Crowes
Birds continue to sing to us this week and who knew that crows had a melodic streak to them.
At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock & roll the Black Crowes specialized in was out of style but the Black Crowes replicated the Stones swagger and covered classic rock without imitating their influences but bringing their own interpretation of that genre.
The Robinson brothers originally formed the Black Crowes in Georgia in 1984 and the group released their first album with 1990's Shake Your Money Maker which contained their breakout hit, a cover of Otis Reddings “Hard to Handle”. Today’s song “She Talks to Angels” was the third release from this same album and also charted in the top forty.
I always wanted “She Talks to Angels” to be biographical, a story about someone that singer Chris Robinson and his brother guitarist Rich Robinson who both wrote the song knew. Well, research ruined that theory. In an interview Chris said that there was always “a girl in the club scene back in the day with really dark makeup like Siouxsie and the Banshees”, and after thinking about her one day, he scribbled the lyric "she paints her eyes as black as night." He then went on to write an entire song, completely made up.
There seems to be something about brothers in bands that just doesn’t work. The Everlys weren’t talking to each late in their career, Ray and Dave Davies of the KInks were constantly fighting, the Gallagher brothers of Oasis fame are notorious enemies, John Fogerty and his brother Tom of CCR stopped talking to each other, Ann and Nancy Wilson weren’t friends outside of the band Heart (OK they’re sisters but the same sibling psychology applies), so it was natural that the Robinson brothers of the Black Crowes would head down that same road.
When the Black Crowes fell apart both Robinson brothers would go on to solo careers and then would reunite, ironically on the Tour of Brotherly Love with the aforementioned Gallagher brothers of Oasis.
Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson would marry actress Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn’s daughter and actor Kurt Russell’s stepdaughter…kind of.
Stay safe and well…and maybe pay closer attention to our flying fowl, some of them could be rockstars.