DVD Reviews

The Black Crowes - Wairpaint Live (Blu-Ray)

The Black Crowes have been playing concerts and releasing albums since their 1990 debut album "Shake Your Money Maker." Brothers Chris (who handles the vocals) and guitarist Rich Robinson have set the foundation for the musical style of the band - a unique mix of southern rock, blues, folk, and other elements.

How unique is it? Well, Chris has had eclectic musical tastes for quite a while. In fact, the band's first album included a hit song that was a cover of the Otis Redding song "Hard to Handle." The second album, 1992's "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion" featured an unlisted version of Bob Marley's "Time Will Tell." Some of the band's other reinterpreted songs captured on audio and video discs include classics from The Band and Willie Dixon. If you look at the playlist for this concert (held on March 20, 2008, at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles in support of the "Warpaint" album), you can see songs originally written by Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, among others.

Most of the material from the concert is from "Warpaint," which is performed here in it’s entirely. The album itself was released two weeks before the show, and I note this because the crowd's reaction to the material is lukewarm. When the crowd's most visible reaction to any song comes four songs from the end, what does that tell you? However, most bands that play an entire album a few days after its release usually don't get the crowd going successfully. It's not any different for the Crowes, who get points for trying at least. Additionally, when you're playing music from your first studio album in seven years, things can get tricky onstage.

In the band's defense, they had been playing many of the songs live for several years, and some members appear comfortable performing them. Chris Robinson's voice hasn't diminished since the early days, and it's still amazing to hear his voice when he sings particularly when you see that he's wire-thin. When it comes to guitarists, Rich is one of the more underrated of the bunch, and when given the chance to play blues guitar, could probably hold his own among contemporaries such as Robert Cray and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Yet despite seeing the Robinson's return to form, Warpaint Live still leaves me feeling a little hollow. The Black Crowes now are not the same band from when they started, and while I understand that such a passing statement is stating the obvious - after all, what band has stayed the same over the years - this new version feels unpolished. Upon further glance, this was the first tour for the band with a new guitarist (Luther Dickinson) and keyboardist (Adam McDougall).

The Black Crowes come to high definition in a 1.78:1 widescreen presentation which is displayed in 1080i high-definition. There is some background detail present, though the image tends to suffer more from softness than anything else. It's not the best filmed performance in the world either; crowds are darker than usual masses, and the house lights could barely shine on my counter (a fault of the venue, perhaps).

Eagle Rock gives the viewer a choice between LPCM stereo, a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. In discerning the difference from the various options , there's a fuller soundstage reproduction from the DTS track, and the rear speakers get a little more activity during some guitar sequences and crowd noise. It's not the most ambient disc as far as Blu-ray concerts go, as the vocals sound a little inconsistent in the center channel, but the guitars are in the front channels for the duration and there's even an unexpected instance of panning. It's good sonically.  On this release, you won’t find any bonus features, so I guess this time it’s all about the music.

While it's easy to dismiss Warpaint Live as a band's attempt at trying to regain a foothold in musical relevancy, we might lose context. The Black Crowes' steadfast musical style is here, but it doesn't come off with quite the same gusto. The performance should have that caveat associated with it. In choosing between this and any standard-definition disc, naturally I'll leap for this, but comparing it to other performance features on high definition, I'd put Warpaint on the lower end of the scale.  Technically it's not the best Blu-ray concert I've seen, but not the worst either. Specific fans of the band should give Warpaint Live a spin in high-definition, the rest should pass.

Review By Ryan Young