I really wish I could be a Rolling Stones fan. I really do. But I can’t support a band that plays their live sets like a bunch of drunken, doped-out Alzheimer’s patients. Did you see their Super Bowl performance in 2006? Dreadful.

That said, I can’t deny their overwhelming popularity and I can actually understand why people like them so much. At their best, they rock pretty hard, and they’ve written some great tunes. But at their worst, they suck harder than a Dyson in a black hole.

The Black Crowes represent a modern take on the Rolling Stones sound. They’re not nearly as popular and haven’t had the same incredible longevity as the Rolling Stones, but they’re a good companion the Rolling Stones in your music collection.

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Like the Stones, The Black Crowes have rootsy, bluesy rock sound that has a distinct southern pop flair. The Black Crowes have an eccentric lead singer in Chris Robinson, similar to Mick Jagger. His brother, guitarist Rich Robinson, borrows a lot  from Keith Richards’ distinctive chordal hammer-ons. Both bands like to use backup singers to layer their sound.

So if you like The Rolling Stones, you’ll probably like The Black Crowes. But don’t expect the relationship to go both ways. If you like The Black Crowes you may not like the Rolling Stones. Even with their enormous gravity, the Stones can’t escape the Great Blackhole of Suck.

For more information about me and the guitar lessons that I give in and around Baltimore, visit www.ewguitar.com.