Counting Crows Album: “Hard Candy”

With Hard Candy, the Counting Crows have released a package of songs that follow the band's proven, successful musical format. All the hallmarks of Counting Crows music are here: the passionately sorrowful vocals of Adam Duritz; poetic, semi-accessible lyrics; vigorous musicianship from the band; and the meticulous production of each track. Putting these elements together, the final result is an album that sounds earnest, refined, and engaging, a product clearly born from a set of veteran musicians who have been around for a long time but haven't lost the focus on their art, even in the wake of huge commercial success. Hard Candy is in my opinion one of the best albums released in 2002.

I'm uncertain why "American Girls" was the first single issued off Hard Candy because even though it's a good song, it's not the best or most commercially viable tune on the album. "New Frontier," with its infectious hooks and rhythmic beat, seems destined for the radio. The title track and "If I Could Give All My Love" also have the potential to become hit singles.

Like any Counting Crows album, however, the music you may hear on the radio is only the beginning of what Hard Candy offers. "Carriage" is a soft and poignant track enhanced by the reflective, sad bars of a trumpet. "Miami" is a magnificent, compelling tune that finishes off with Adam Duritz's trademark rambling, improvisational-type singing. This is one of the elements I love so much about Counting Crows music: nobody compares to Adam Duritz when he digresses into one of his passionate, almost random, imperfect singing soliloquys. This album has enough of those moments to give the music a relaxed but intense feel. In fact, on Hard Candy, the Counting Crows effortlessly glide through complex musical compositions, revealing the kind confidence and grace found only in seasoned, successful musicians.

Counting Crows began their musical career as a group of talented musicians led by a very promising songwriter. The experience and massive exposure the group has received over the years only enhances the band's musical sensibilities. If you liked previous Counting Crows albums, I think you would enjoy Hard Candy. This is another masterwork from one of my very favorite bands.

Yet again, my favorite band comes through with a masterpiece. This one, though, is a reinvention of their wonderful sound. They seem to have strayed away from their Roots-Rock roots...and have done it impeccably. Adam's words have never been stronger, and the sound has never been crisper. The songs still have that same strong voice that speaks to me, whatever mood I'm in. It's still poetry, set to music.

They seem to have become poppier, but don't be fooled...they have not by any means sold out. The album has a distinctly summer feel, but with some other dirges, of course (what CC album would be complete without the sad ones, anyway?). This summer feel is in stark contrast to the Autumnal and Winter feels of "August & Everything After" and "Recovering the Satellites", and it's even a little poppier than "This Desert Life."

It seems like the gang has started to come out of all those previous sad times and experiences that made us love them, with their previous albums. They seem to have emerged wiser, and "Hard Candy" has a very mature, and experienced feel. Adam himself has said that this album is a lot about memory, and now, he's taking the time to reflect on all of it, and thank God he's sharing that reflection with us.

I still have to listen to it another hundred times to get the full feel of it, but it's far on the way to being not only one of the finest Crows albums, but one of the finest albums of the past few years, period.

I've been a fan of Counting Crows ever since August and Everything after was released in 1990, and since then I've never looked back.

Through their times, I've seen them change their spectrum from album to album (AAEA - A rawer, fresh sounds, Recovering the Satellites - A more rock influenced album, This Desert Life - A more surreal music experience.) With this they change again.

They have moved into a mixture of pop-rock, but unlike the normal drivel heard on the radio, undercutting this album are beautiful lyrics and haunting melodies.

1) Hard Candy - 5*

A smooth, catchy song. Upbeat with excellent lyrics and beautiful lyrics. An very impressive start to the album

2) American Girls - 4*

Slightly too pop influenced for me, nevertheless a stirling effort in a track which will have great radio appeal and shall appeal to a wide audience. Predominantely guitar influenced, it's a track that will keep your toes tapping for hours

3) Good Time - 4*

A melancholy, effects driven song remeniscent of their old relaxing music from AAEA ('Perfect Blue Buildings', 'Time and time again'), this track is a really beautiful, mellow journey through the life of a couple on the edge

4) Richard Manual is Dead - 5*

A catchy guitar riff, nice backing music and great vocal ability, this track is one which you can't get out of your head no matter how hard you may try!

5)Goodnight LA - 5*

An atmospheric, relaxing piece which shows the maturity of the band. Catchy and brilliant

6) Butterfly in Reverse - 3*

A song co-writen with Ryan Adams, and one of the weaker ones on the album. Despite the happy-go-lucky, abstract lyrics, the song itself falls a little short. Still a nice piece

7) Miami - 5*

Fantastic atmosphere, amazing electric guitar solo and brilliant lyrical and vocal prowess from Adam Duritz. A great song, in my opinion 2nd best on the album

8) New Frontier - 4*

Keyboard-synthesised pop tune, with cathy lyrics and vocals. A good song, not outstanding but well worth a listen or two

9) Carriage - 3*

Not the strongest of the album again; a mellow acoustic guitar song, with amazingly insiteful lyrics, but occasionally straying towards slightly boring

10) Black and Blue - 5*

A piano based tune; Duritz has the amazing ability of making all his piano tunes exceptional, and this is the same as the rest. Lovely winding melodies complimented by nice piano work and excellent vocal work

11) Why should you come when I call - 4*

Slightly outdated, but nevertheless effective; again a more light-hearted, poppy tune with happy backing vocals. Listen out for the 'bah da bah' backing!

12) Up all Night - 10*!

My personal favorite on the album; hard driven guitar mixed with melodic piano and (strangely) bongo drums! Excellent lyrics and vocals; this is a soporific tune to listen to over and over again

13)Holiday in Spain - 5*

Another relaxed piano tune, remeniscent of Colourblind. Beautifully mellow, and incredibly atmospheric, one of the higlights of the album

14) Big Yello Taxi - 5*

The album's most famous single (due to being on the film 2 Week's Notice and being a cover of Mitchell's original) is covered very nicely with an upbeat guitar and nice backing vocals from Vanessa Carlton

When all is said and done, another direction has been achieved by the Crows, and it produced a very good album indeed. I await the next eagerly!

At first I missed the 'desert sounds' from the last album, but as I listen to Hard Candy the third time I'm really enjoying listening to the references to Miami, New York, Spain, New Orleans and well, there's no doubt about it, now I'm on a journey somewhere new. It's actually turning into a great trip. Nine years ago, I greatly appreciated the catharsis offered by August and Everything After. But I've moved on, and fortunately, so have the Counting Crows. I don't think I can take another "young male dirge" song for awhile, and this CD is a great antidote. I really like the world evoked by cryptic lyrics about artsy, soulful people, or ordinary people, or American girls, for that matter. All the music is very listenable; in fact, sometimes I actually don't pay attention to the lyrics, which isn't typical for me with the Counting Crows. Adam's voice sounds great too. The lyrics are poetic and set to nice rhythms. An added bonus about the content of the lyrics: I don't feel the same distance between my real life and Adam's 'rock star life' in this album that I have felt in other CC albums that focus on Hollywood lifestyles and the burden of fame. Well done!

You get the feeling when listening to Hard Candy by the Counting Crows that the band needs to change things up a little. Because instead of being transfixed by such great pop rock songs as If I Could Give All My Love, the albums best track, the album has a feel of been there done that.

Take the first single American Girls for example, the tune is a great upbeat piece of pop rock, kind've like the way Mr. Jones is a great upbeat piece of pop rock or Hangingaround is great upbeat piece of pop rock. Somehow a band that can have two songs as different as A Long December and Mr. Jones be their biggest hits have become so repetitive in just four offerings no real excitement can be expressed about a new record.

Hard Candy is a classic sounding Counting Crows record, too classic. Holiday In Spain should stand as a beautiful, melancholy filled piano ballad; instead it comes off as just another beautiful, melancholy filled piano ballad from the Counting Crows. Anyone whose followed the bands career will probably be reminded too often of the band's previous work when listening to Hard Candy instead of being able to just enjoy the new tunes.

So why give it a good review? Simple; I believe each record by an artist should be judged as a separate entity (and I can't give it 3.5) and if you haven't followed the Counting Crows career as closely as I have, Hard Candy on its own is a great collection of pop rock songs.

New Frontier is a bouncy new wave sounding tune and Up All Night follows the same piano rock stylings of previous records but ups the tempo a bit to differentiate it enough from other similar sounding Crows tunes. Duritz vocal performance is as emotional and lively as ever, while the band is still able to showcase some awesome musicianship.

So the answer to the question is Hard Candy any good can be answered like this: if you don't mind a band sticking to a tried and true formula, buy this record, if you want something a little different from the Counting Crows, too many times Hard Candy isn't sweet enough.