The song Maxim managed to review was the only available single, �Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution.� It must be admitted that had this review also hinged upon this same song, the end result would have perfectly coincided with Maxim’s two-and-a-half star rating. For an opening song, �Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution� does nothing to impress. It’s a cautious test-run that showcases nothing innovative and does nothing to challenge what is already available in the music world. It is decent � but decent isn’t the way to start off a record.

Unfortunately for listeners, �decent� is applicable to the majority of the album. Some songs strain further than necessary for that perfect word and end up with nothing but a laundry list of rhymes, as �Wee Who See the Deep� shows. Other songs, like �Oh Josephine,� lack creativity in the first place and rely on the repetition of a lame chorus: �Oh Josephine/ You’re dressed in black/ Oh Josephine/ Your eyes are so blue.� At least the Black Crowes didn’t resort to the rhyming dictionary in this case.

What also doesn’t work in the album’s favor is song length. Going back to �Oh Josephine,� the length is a heavy 6 minutes and 39 seconds. A song that long better have something special about it that makes it deserve such attention, and �Oh Josephine� � and most of the other songs for that matter � are lacking. This extra time is instead used to show off guitar riffs, and while it was initially impressive, interest eventually wanes. One song relying on a cool guitar solo is good, but all of them proves there’s something missing: content.

Warpaint isn�t all bad news, however. One of its appealing qualities is its narrative nature. With varying degrees of success, the Black Crowes manage to create a compilation of songs that complement each other in style and tone. What their narrative is about could be anyone’s guess; perhaps it�s about the horse-riding skeleton, astronaut and wizard featured on the jewel-case cover.

Whatever their story is about, �Walk Believer Walk,� the gem of the album, could serve as an anthem for it. Perhaps it is the effect of the juxtaposition of one great song with several OK ones, but there’s a depth to it which is hard to find. With a rhythm which itself is a slow, sultry walk, �Walk Believer Walk� stands out as having the most power behind it, and walks away with you after listening to it.

For The Black Crowes, Warpaint is the first release in seven years. While Maxim was rightfully criticized for essentially lying to their readership, one must admit that their �educated guess� wasn’t too far from the truth. Although The Black Crowes try to emulate warriors on Warpaint, they end up sounding more like children fingerpainting.

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2 1/2 stars out of 5