The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes were not looking to the past when they recorded their powerful new album Happiness Bastards. But it was on their minds. They arrived at producer Jay Joyce’s Neon Cross Studio in East Nashville in summer 2023 to work on the album, having spent significant portions of the two previous years on a 100-plus-date tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Shake Your Money Maker, their 1990 quintuple-platinum debut.
“Getting into the Shake Your Money Maker tour and really focusing on that record — and doing something that we had never done, which is playing that record or any record in its entirety every night in its sequence — I think gave me an appreciation for the streamlined song,” Crowes co-founder, co-writer and rhythm guitarist Rich Robinson tells the Scene. “The thing about Shake Your Money Maker is the brilliance in a three-minute-long song — to be able to take someone somewhere in just that rock ’n’ roll format. And I think that really kind of informed the way that we were going to make this record for both Chris and me.”
Robinson’s brother Chris, who is one of the greatest lyricists and most dynamic rock frontmen of his generation, calls Happiness Bastards “our love letter to rock ’n’ roll.” The Black Crowes will kick off their tour in support of the album, which was released March 15, on Tuesday at the Grand Ole Opry House.
Happiness Bastards is the kind of record people hoped the most recent album by The Rolling Stones would be. It has inspired songs with edgy arrangements featuring combustible guitars, a swinging rhythm section and vocal performances full of soul, sass and swagger.
“It’s like a fresh version of their old sound,” says Joyce, who also mixed the record.
The Crowes connected with Joyce after the Robinson brothers decided they wanted to work with an outside producer.
“[Chris] has done a lot of producing,” Robinson says. “I’ve done a lot of producing — other people, my own stuff — and we just felt it would be kind of cool to have someone come in and give us the 10,000-foot view. We talked to a lot of people, and we really both instantly liked Jay. We just thought he was really cool, kind of came from such a cool musical place and was open to anything.”
Joyce is probably best known these days for his award-winning work with country artists like Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson, who was a guest vocalist on the Happiness Bastards song “Wilted Rose.” But first and foremost, Joyce is a master at guitar-based rock, which made him a perfect match for what The Crowes had in mind.
“They came to town ready to fucking do it,” Joyce says. “It was all live, no click track.”
The Robinsons recorded the album with their touring band at the time, which included Sven Pipien, the only other official member of the band, on bass, Nico Bereciartua on lead guitar, Erik Deutsch on keys and Brian Griffin on drums.
The band handled a lot of the backing vocals on the record, but Joyce also enlisted a few Nashville pros to add background vocals on some of the cuts: Robert Kearns from Sheryl Crow’s band, Joanna Cotton from Eric Church’s band, and session ace Vicki Hampton. Cotton and Hampton sang together on a few tracks to give them a soulful, gospel-inspired flavor.
“We added that as a final touch,” the producer says. “I think The Black Crowes need that, you know. It’s part of their sound.”
