Counting Crows made their debut 13 years ago, and Adam Duritz is still writing like an English major. He has always known that the devil is in the details, and he creates sharp dioramas of dreamers, beautiful losers and relationships in peril with such poetic imagery it's like stepping into a Faulkner novel. But there is very little preciousness or self-consciousness.

Instead, Duritz invites us into his personal House of Pain, making us wonder where his autobiography ends and his observations begin, keeping us guessing as we become silent witnesses to his foibles and seductive misery. In the band's second live album, the other Crows show that they are not just handmaidens to Duritz's yearning muse. They wrestle him for center stage, elevating his lyrics with their easy melodies, unexpected jazzy interludes and inventive dynamics. -- Jaan Uhelszki

Author: Jaan Uhelszki