BRIAN LOWELL CRIP
Special to the Universe
When Adam Duritz and the rest of Counting Crows set out to record the long-awaited follow-up to their 1993 debut album 'August and Everything After,' they knew it would be a defining move in their musical career -- for better or for worse.
Although their first album was a huge commercial success (selling almost 5 million copies) and was generally well-received by critics, the band has been accused of simply recycling a Van Morrison-esque playing style by incorporating classic-rock guitar sounds and folksy heartland-themed lyrics. So the dilemma was presented: Do they stick with the same formula that pleased the masses and made them wealthy, or do they venture to conquer new artistic ground, and quite possibly, new respect from those that had previously blown them off?
Thankfully, Counting Crows broke the three-year silence with their new record 'Recovering the Satellites,' which compellingly blends the strengths of their last album with an adventurous new attitude.
'Angels of the Silences,' the first single released to radio, is the best-moving, most straight-forward rock tune the band has ever done. It is reminiscent of 'Rain King' from the last record, only faster, and with a harder edge.
'A Long December' takes advantage of the six-man band's ability to create beautiful, full, melodic tunes, with piano and accordion softly complimenting the guitar power chords.
The same sound characterized songs like 'Omaha' and 'Raining in Baltimore,' which were among August's quieter pleasures.
But Counting Crows have not settled for a mere musical retread of their last effort. 'I'm Not Sleeping' starts out with a quiet mellotron organ, but gives way to distorted guitar and frenzied orchestration while lead singer Duritz jumps up an octave and wails a few incoherent lines just as the song abruptly ends.
The swingy music of 'Another Horsedreamer's Blues,' which contains Duritz's trademark narrative lyric style, feels more like a Vegas lounge act than anything you would expect from one of the world's biggest rock bands.
As the creative soul of the band (he wrote 8 of the albums 14 tracks completely by himself) and as the most intriguing band member, Duritz has been dealing with the band's phenomenal success and his own distrust of stardom. 'You've got a piece of me/But it's just a little piece of me/These days I feel like I'm fading away/Like sometimes when I hear myself on the radio,' he sings on 'Have You Seen Me Lately?'
The emotional intensity of Duritz's voice is Counting Crows' most distinguishing and endearing trait.
'We only stay in orbit for a moment in time,' he sings on the title track, 'and all anybody really knows for sure is ... that you're gonna come down.'
While Duritz ponders the vicious cycles of success and failure, 'Recovering the Satellites' solidifies Counting Crows' status as one of the most talented and exciting bands of our time.