Rich Robinson decided to reach out to
Marc Ford in 2014, a gesture that healed a decade's worth of animosity between the two
Black Crowes guitarists. They in turn brought former
Crowes keyboardist
Eddie Harsch into a circle that included
Robinson's touring band -- which also featured
Sven Pipien, who played bass in the waning days of
the Black Crowes -- and this crew of seven musicians and three backup singers formed
the Magpie Salute.
Harsch passed during the recording of the group's eponymous 2017 debut -- they recruited
Matt Slocum in his place -- but the essential fact remains:
the Magpie Salute sound like a reconstituted version of
the Black Crowes, only heavier. Some of that weight is due to how the focus of the group is on the interplay between
Robinson and
Ford, who keep spiraling solos and riffs, intertwining and weaving instead of battling. Some of this heaviness is also due to the absence of
Chris Robinson, who was a charismatic frontman in
the Crowes and also brought along a strong dose of hippie mysticism. Despite a cover of
Pink Floyd's "Fearless,"
the Magpie Salute have no time for the cosmos. They're proudly earthbound as they crank out versions of old
Delaney & Bonnie and
Faces tunes, dabbling in a few deep
Crowes cuts for good measure. The presence of these oldies underscores how this group is mature -- not as reckless in approach, but confident and assured, a band of lifers who still gain sustenance from playing the music of their life. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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