No surprise, the Crowes are a good – at times great – cover band, proven by this EP. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson decamped to Sunset Sound in L.A., laying down heavy tracks along with lead guitarist Isaiah Mitchell (VG, April ’22) and their fine touring band.

In contrast to the Stones’ “Rocks Off,” with its iconic, undermixed vocals, Chris’ vocals soar above the dueling guitar double-stops. Their take on T. Rex’s “The Slider” delivers fuzzed-out British boogie with close-miked power chords and tart slide licks. Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well” sparkles with stereo steel-string acoustics and perfectly restrained lead guitar on top. The band totally nails it.

A surprise is a cover of Little Feat’s “Easy to Slip,” with Rich on lead vocals – he has a compelling voice, far different from his brother’s – while David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” starts as an uptempo rocker, with Mitchell capturing Mick Ronson’s fat-toned solo at the end. The finale is a rocked-up version of The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and it kills. It’s a Chris vocal tour-de-force, backed by nasty wah guitar and Rich’s fatback slide. The Black Crowes have rarely sounded better than they do here.

This article originally appeared in VG’s August 2022 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.