Finally I have the review up! and although its over a month overdue, whatever. So here it goes:
Although it was 6 years since the Counting Crows last CD, it was well worth the wait. Saturday Nights and Sundays Mornings is an all-around quality CD. The one-disc CD is split into two parts; Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, as the title suggests. The first half is a rocking upbeat fun night kind of mix, whereas the latter half is comprised of acoustic guitars with some harmonica (my favorite!). It's almost as though it is the story of a weekend of Saturday Nights full of partying, with a Sunday Morning of wondering who's in you bed.
Saturday Night starts of with the electric guitar packed 1492 and Hanging Tree. As the 1st single, 1492 offers a steady beat with a rocking intro, a definite reminder of the 90's Crows that were so popular. Hanging Tree doesn't disappoint either, with a nice guitar solo. Los Angeles slows things down a bit and give funky-haired lead singer Adam Duritz a Jagger-Tyler voice. Sundays has a Stones-esque intro and a slammin chorus, but the verses lack, however, the band pulls it back together for Insignificant, quite possibly my favorite track off the album. Not only was the chorus tight, but also was the verse. It reminds me of a Mr. Jones type song, and it definitely has the chance of being a HUGE song for the band. Saturday Night wraps up with the song Cowboys, another personal favorite. It also goes back to the 90's Crows style and really puts the spotlight on Duritz. My favorite part would have how Duritz breaks out into talking in the middle of the song, much like he did back on Mr. Jones. Cowboys offers a nice segue into Sunday Morning.
The Acoustic-ridden Sunday Morning offers a polar opposite to the 1st half of the album. Washington Square leads things off with a nice trifecta of acoustic guitar, harmonica, and keyboard. On Almost Every Sunday Morning and When I Dream of Michaelangelo are more some of the songs that Crow's fans have been waiting years for. Anyone But You is another 90's Crows song, which incorporates the drums back in with the acoustic guitar. The dual between the keyboards and the guitar in You Can't Count On Me offers up a nice, calm driving song for the spring/summer. The worst song on the album, in my opinion and most likely yours too, is the love song ballad Le Ballet Dor. Nothing about the song sticks out to me as musically wowing. I even gave it a few more spins to make sure there wasn't something I was missing. Right up there with Le Ballet Dor is On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago. The only reason it beats out the prior is because I like the keyboard riff. Despite this minor meltdown, the Crows manage to pull it all back together for the closer Come Around, which offers a nice banjo and acoustic guitar jam, into an electric guitar song. The song, like an upbeat Holiday in Spain goes into a nice 1/2 time jam and then back into the beginning tempo. It really sums up the album well.
Must Hear: Hanging Tree, Insignificant, Cowboys, On Almost Any Sunday Morning, and You Can't Count on Me
For Crow's Fans: When I Dream of Michelangelo, Anyone But You, and Come Around
Skip: Le Ballet Dor and One Tuesday In Amsterdam Long Ago
Track List
1. 1492
2. Hanging Tree
3. Los Angeles
4. Sundays
5. Insignificant
6. Cowboys
~~~Split~~~
7. Washington Square
8. On Almost Any Sunday Morning
9. When I Dream Of Michaelangelo
10. Anyone But You
11. You Can't Count On Me
12. Le Ballet Dor
13. On a Tuesday In Amsterdam Long Ago
14. Come Around
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