Black Crowes alumni Rich Robinson, Marc Ford, Sven Pipien, and the late Eddie Harsch are going for jam band glory with The Magpie Salute.
Their self-titled first album was recorded in front of a live audience in upstate New York and the bold move pays off. The songs rock soulfully and the big band (10 members) showcases their instrumental drive and vocal harmonies.
The Magpie Salute has direct roots and inspiration deriving from The Allman Brothers Band southern rock tradition, updated with more rock and roll grind from Robinson and Ford.
The opening track, Omission is a slab of rhythmic hard rock. The group tweaks that sound endlessly on the album with helpings of jazz (War Drums) gospel (Ain’t No More Cane) and lots of effortlessly flowing interpretations of rock and soul sounds.
Tracks like Glad And Sorry are ringing examples of how a large line-up that is tuned into each other can create melodic gems. The song is industry standard length (3:36), yet the musicianship and artistry shines brightly. That said, with a few songs tagging in at more than nine minutes, they aren’t afraid to stretch out.
The instrumental passages are inspired and coherent (Wish Time) and the energy level never flags. Solo passages are sweet and the rhythm pushes and pulls.
The Magpie Salute affirms their place in the soul rock jam band tradition with stretched out epics like Comin’ Home, bolstered by the renaissance of the concert and festival culture. With several singers and an arsenal of guitars and keyboards playing sympathetically they are earthy and impressive.
–Dean Gordon-Smith is a Vernon-based musician who reviews the latest music releases in his column, Street Sounds, every Friday.