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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Lions
by The Black Crowes


9.2

based on 15 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 38 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

'Lions' continues to build on the sound established in 1999's 'By Your Side,' with this outing produced by Don Was.

LABEL:	V2
RELEASE DATE:	08 May 2001
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock

NOTES: Also available on vinyl.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Billboard

Lions is indeed a truer expression of the Crowes' potential: adventurous songwriting ensconced in a blues- and funk-inspired swagger.

CDNow

Their latest, Lions, gets back to basics without going backward; the brothers Robinson are still ripping off the classics, sure, but they've expanded the history lesson from the Small Faces and Humble Pie to sharpening the attack with Zeppelinesque tricks and modern rock energy.

Spin Cycle

Deeply original? No. A rollicking, sing-along good time? Yes.

Rolling Stone

The heart of Lions lies in the best ballads the band has ever waxed, such as the Led Zeppelin III-esque "Soul Singing" and the churning "Losing My Mind."

Launch.com

Where the Robinson boys once seemed perpetually stuck in the butt-skankin', Faces-meets-Sticky Fingers pit, Lions draws more on communal southern boogie rock--slightly less on doofus monster guitar riffs. Not that Lions signals any reinvention, the Black Crowes are just masters at resaddling their one-trick pony.

Q Magazine

When the Crowes stumble into the right place, they soar. Indeed, at its best, their sixth album delivers the same streamlined pleasures that the group rediscovered on 1999's By Your Side.

Dot Music

There's precious little of the extravagant muso twiddling and indulgent nonsense that has waylaid the band sometimes in the past.

Revolver

While Lions roars with all of the classic rock bombast and Stones-y swagger we've come to expect from the Crowes, the album is sorely lacking in the magic that can only be achieved when the innately talented drive themselves to distraction in the pursuit of perfection. [May/June 2001, p.110]

Sonicnet

Lions has got style to spare, but ends up light on meaty hooks.

Wall of Sound

With the exception of 1999's By Your Side, which showed flashes of the band's original brilliance, in recent years the songwriting of brothers Chris and Rich Robinson has deteriorated into a muddled mess of hard rock cliches. Lions is the low point of that decline.

Entertainment Weekly

Chris Robinson and crew get artier with their arrangements, but sacrifice the lived-in feel of previous work. [11 May 2001, p.81]

Blender

The line between this credible Faces-cum-Skynyrd jam band's best and worst material remains slimmer than even their most ardent fanatic might hope. [Jun/Jul 2001, p.105]

Playlouder

'Lions' is a mediocre album.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

With Lions, the band has dropped its biggest dud, a moribund disaster with no more than a tiny handful of salvageable songs.

New Musical Express

'Lions' is widdle-smothered great-grandadrock shite that Hendrix could whack off in ten minutes today, despite being dead. Pumped full of funk-rawk formaldehyde to stop the choruses dropping off, it boasts all the originality of a cloned baked bean and about as many tunes as a tractor makes trying to get out of a ditch.

The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Axe S. gave it a7:
The Crowes continue their foray into alternative rock (three snakes part II). 'greasy grass river', 'losin my mind', and 'cosmic friend' rank among the band's best songs. the whole album has a psychedelic feel, due in part to the post-post modern album artwork. like most Crowes albums, though, there are a couple of clunkers on lions.

Ken I gave it a10:
Great album. More hard Rock than other Crowe's albums.

tracey gave it a10:
the fact that the Real listeners have rated it higher than the critics says it all!another classic,all i can say is WOW!i can't stop listening to it.

BRANDON L gave it a10:
One of the most talented bands still touring today is The Black Crowes. Their music is not an imitation, but an innovation of how music can be on the cutting edge and at the same time stay connected to the roots of rock n roll. Chris's lyrics speak to the soul... TEN!!!

Jason M gave it a10:
I feel sorry for the critics who dissed this CD. HA HA HA It must be true... with their fancy words I wonder if they enjoy life ?! Anywho....WOW !!! I just can't get over this music. Does anybody else hear how 'Midnight' starts off so bad but then turns into a great song? And the next song 'lickin' is kinda stange?( my wifes favorite btw) and the rest of the record is just KILLER !!!!!!!! WellI think I know why. To put off the critics! HA HA HA HA HA "Baby don't ya see... the jokes are on you" INDEED !!!!!!!! my Souls' Singin' ..... critics can't make your soul sing ......AMEN .....Gone.........

Jimmy B gave it a10:
One Awesome Disk!!! Rock 'N' Roll with a lot of SOUL!!!!

jeff g gave it a9:
Some erratic seques in a few songs, but an amazing disc on every level. On first listen, may not appeal to big Crowes fans, but with a little patience, this will be a staple in your collection.

Lions by The Black Crowes

Lions
by The Black Crowes