- Probably high
Roughly halfway between the 1970s arrival of Southern rock (in the form of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd) and the genre’s remake this past decade (most notably via the dark Dixie mythos of the Drive-By Truckers) emerged a raucous rebel sound that was unexpected at the time and, in retrospect, one of the genre’s most enduring and successful. The Black Crowes’ 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker, brandished a balls-out roadhouse alternative in the face of hair nation. From the start, their sound, steeped in Southern R&B and laced with the bad-boy swagger of the Rolling Stones, came with an acoustic complement (the unplugged “She Talks to Angels” is one of the band’s most-loved songs). Shake Your Money Maker served as a multi-platinum launch for the band’s much-celebrated run, which is now entering its third decade. A dozen albums and several personnel makeovers later, the Crowes’ dual nature is more apparent than ever. Also evident is the masterful roots-conscious songcraft of singer Chris Robinson and his guitar-playing brother Rich. For proof, listen to last year’s Before the Frost/Until the Freeze and the just-released Croweology, which includes all-acoustic remakes of some of the band’s best songs. They'll be playing an all-electric set at House of Blues at 8 p.m. Tickets: $42.50-$69.50. —Duane Verh
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