Back in the 1990s, when the Counting Crows were notching up accolades by the bucketful, I must confess that I just didn’t get them. Maybe it was the fact that they kind of looked grunge adjacent, while existing in a far rootsier world; maybe the stars just didn’t align. Whatever it was, we went in different directions and, despite the respect they have accrued and their longevity as artists, this is the first album I’ve heard since the seemingly ubiquitous August And Everything After.
Quirkily titled, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets is a direct continuation of the 2021 EP Butter Miracle, Suite One and the band’s first full-length outing since 2014’s Somewhere Under Wonderland. It finds the band in fine form, delivering a gloriously ragged, rootsy set that bears comparisons to R.E.M, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam, and the Rolling Stones and, within the first couple of tracks, I’m starting to wonder just how much I’ve missed over the years.
If the album starts well, with a rough, Stonesy jam called With Love From A-Z, it really hits its stride with the excellent Spaceman In Tulsa, a ramshackle rocker with breezy backing vocals, a strong central vocal from Adam and a vibrant performance from a band who sound like they’re having a blast in the studio. One of those songs that hooks you in from the start, by the time the band deploy an ear-splitting blast of feedback, they have you grinning from ear to ear, and it’s just a great, great song that manages to take the line “I’m a motherfucking rock ‘n’ roll star” and make it swing.
Jim Bogios leads the way on Boxcars, a breezy rocker that benefits from an exceptionally addictive chorus. What’s notable here are the little flourishes – the little stabs of pedal steel guitar (David Immergluck), the toe-tapping beat that drives the second half of the song, and the stinging riffs that appear from nowhere to set the blood pumping. Goddam, what have I been missing all these years?!
The pace finally slows on the piano-led Virginia Through The Rain. With its woozy guitars and loping beat, it’s the sort of thing the Stones would have unearthed circa Let It Bleed, albeit with an infinitely more soulful vocal from Adam, who really nails the aching loss of a classic country singer in his performance here. Changing tack once again, the band take a leaf from the R.E.M. songbook via the psychedelia of the Beatles on Under The Aurora. The result is a surprisingly sprightly little number that neatly segues from pacy verse to opulent chorus, complete with richly textured backing vocals and, by the time the song reaches its climax, some beautifully understated strings.
Counting Crows continue to surprise and delight in equal measure with an odd little number, The Tall Grass, which throws acoustic guitars, sweeping synths, and an electronic drum beat into the mix. It’s a brilliantly different piece of music, two parts Up to one part Binaural, that showcases the breadth of the band’s influences, while catching the listener wholly unaware.
The piano returns to lead the way on Elevator Boots which has that story-telling vibe that seems to suit American bands so well. A slow burning piece it just seems to build and build before giving way to the sonic fireworks of Angel Of 14th Street, which evokes the titular character via massed vocals and a sense of light and love that just bursts from the speakers. With a shiny trumpet solo from Curtis Watson livening things up and an astonishing, multi-tiered solo that references Queen (of all things), it’s an album highlight that’s guaranteed to brighten your day. The album wraps up with Bobby And The Rat Kings, another story-telling piece with great lyrics and a lively performance from a bands still firmly in rock ‘n’ roll mode.
I am so, so happy I found my way to this album. Not only is it a brilliant release in its own right, but it’s also lit a fire under me to work my way through a back catalogue that I have somehow managed to overlook these last few decades. Hey ho, better late than never and, as for Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets! It’s a short, sharp and brilliantly realised album that had me absolutely hooked throughout. One of those incredibly rare records that’s just so vital and alive that you can’t help but feel better having listened, it was an absolute joy to review and is liable to remain glued to the stereo for some time to come. Great work Counting Crows! 9/10
