Crows and the Picture

Who would of thought Courtney Cox's first dreaded musical love affair would still be making hit songs long after the limelight had turned off?

After more than sixteen years together, the Counting Crows have yet to lose their touch and with their latest album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, they show no signs of giving up.

Packed with fast paced songs and slow melodic ballads, this album truly shows what the band is capable of.

Starting off with a bang and some electric guitar, the track "1492" gets Sunday Mornings off to a great start. The song's fast pace has a slightly different sound to it than what one would expect from the Counting Crows, but this new twist only adds to their already broad sound.

Taking a different route in the creation of their new album, the band actually used two separate producers. Having done this, there is a clear distinction between the two very different sections, as if there were two different discs.

Producer Gil Norton worked on the first section of the album. This half is catchy, upbeat and also seems to use more electric guitar rather than the acoustic sound the band often strives for.

This change of pace gives them a little bit of a harder sound, which is definitely welcome. After carrying this energy through the next five songs, the disc takes a drastic turn.

Brian Deck produced the second half of the album, and while not as upbeat as the first, this portion is just as satisfying. After the fast moving opening, the listener can sit back and relax to the melodic tunes that come with the latter half.

One of the tracks that stood out amongst the other ballads was "On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago" played on the piano, which is a nice change from the guitar. The smooth beats and lead vocalist Adam Duritz's rough and wavering voice blend together to create a unique sound that emphasizes all the rock positives the Counting Crows represent.

"She was a bareback rider/Some miles from home/Come back to me/She's a carnival driver/Hung in the sky/Cutting through time like a memory," Duritz sings.

With most '90s buzz bands falling off the edge of the earth, the Counting Crows refuse to go out of style, promising a 21st century musicology fans can look back on.