Originally, this track was on the Black Crowes second studio album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. I won't get into which album of theirs is "the best," but if you're not familiar with the band, or only know "the hits," you should definitely dive head first into the 'Crowes first three. Those are: Shake Your Money Maker (1990), The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992), and Amorica (1994). Weather or not you know them or even like them, is irrelevant. If you enjoy blues and/or southern rock, incredibly flexible male vocalists (in the vein of oh say... Robert Plant?), filthy musicianmanship, and music that screams "lets have good time," than you need to play these three albums cover to cover. Many times. Constantly.
The Black Crowes are as good as classic rock gets, and as some people say, they are the last true classic rock band left, and I couldn't agree more. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson put together some of the best rock and blues musicians out there, and solidified their place in rock history by using them to accompany some of the best songwriting I've ever come into contact with. The lyrics are very grounded and real, though personal and sometimes even whimsical in their storytelling. And Chris Robinson's cadence is unlike anything else out there, even though he credits R&B and Blues legends as his influences. Tonally, he may have flashes of Robert Plant-like brilliance, but don't let that fool you. He is a top notch vocalist/lyricist all his own.
And aside from the first album (which was and is heavily played live since), Marc Ford was their lead guitarist through their fourth album which, is all their best stuff. He undeniably gave the Crowes their distinctive Southern Twang, in addition to doing all that dirty slide work that their known for. And though there were coming's and going's and coming's again between Ford and the group (mainly due to Ford's drug use), they were outrageous when they played consistently together. Ford was and is a brilliant musician, and I don't mean just in playability. Yes he's played with the likes of Warren Haynes (of Allman Brothers Band fame) in Haynes' band "Gov't Mule," and eclectic talent like Ben Harper, but he has also produced, promoted, and played with/for guys like Ryan Bingham (see an earlier entry of mine), which gives me infinitely more respect for him. To recognize young and earnest talent in this age where everybody thinks their a musician and has saturated the world with their filth without actually putting in the time and having the scars to prove it, is something to be highlighted. I know that's a mouthful, but in the end I'm basically saying that for Marc Ford to have recognized this guys talent, and respected it so much that he produced one of his albums and played on all three, is to his credit. He even got his son, Elijah Ford, playing guitar and bass on Bingham's last two albums (the knockout Roadhouse Sun, and the unexplainably mature Junky Star)
And I won't pretend to be a music authority. I am passionate about music (all genres), and I do spend most if not all of my free time over-saturating one of my five senses in it. But that doesn't put you in a position to judge what another person listens to. Music is a taste. It's a personal opinion, and it's purely up to the individual to decide what is good, to them. But the more you listen to music of all kinds, and the more diverse your "musical palette" becomes, the more you start to see and hear similar things happen with the select musicians who are acknowledged as the best. And in this one man's opinion, the Black Crowes are definitely in that select core.
This song, though on their second album, is also included on an essentially acoustic album released in 2010 called Croweology. It covers songs from their first to their sixth album, that are rearranged acoustically, and let me tell you, it is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is unquestionably one of the most listenable albums cover to cover, that I've ever heard. 22 tracks of brilliance. "Morning Song," is one of those exceptional tracks, and even though the original version is a big and strong piece of southern rock, the acoustic version just might be better. In my opinion.
Other songs off Croweology to lend an ear to if you need to be sold on the fact that the entire album "cuts glass" (as my buddy Nader would say), are:
Jealous Again
Soul Singin'
Wiser Time
Cold Boy Smile
Sister Luck
She
Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye
Willin'
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