The Counting Crows are back, and this time it’s a good thing. With a string of sub-par albums following the release of 1994’s instant classic August and Everything After, The Crows new release, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings was a much-needed improvement. The new album provides the best vocal performances from lead singer Adam Duritz since the smash single “Mr. Jones,” and the album as a whole breaks new ground for the Counting Crows. Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, appropriately titled, is a split of raucous, loud rock songs (the Saturday night side of the record) with emotionally driven somber ballads (the Sunday morning side.) The first single released off the album, “You Can’t Count on Me” is the catchiest single the Crows have released since “Accidentally in Love,” but it’s not nearly the highlight of the album. “On a Tuesday Night in Amsterdam Long Ago” and “Le Ballet D’or” are two of the most powerful songs ever recorded by the Counting Crows and are a reminder of how beautiful and melodic music can be, if done right.

Free jukebox available at Countingcrows.com 

Ryan Shaver, staff writer