I bought this record in college. The Black Crowes. Shake Your Money Maker. At first, before I played it, I thought another goddamn band from Georgia. More noise. More derivative shit. Bands trying to be something between REM and the B-52s, but without the punk. But it was god damn 1990, and we knew the world was going to end, so I put it on. Besides, the beer was warm, the ashtray was full, and I didn’t have class until 10 the next morning. Plus, the roommate was asleep, and that I just couldn’t abide. I loathe drinking alone if there is another person in the room.

First track, “Jealous Again.” It hit like a punch to the gut. Not a soft punch, not a pretty one. A real one. Like a bar fight that starts for no reason, and you’re just in it. The guitars were dirty, the vocals sneering, like a dog that’s been kicked too many times but still bites. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t trying to be. It was just there. Raw. Like a fresh wound. And it felt right. You could almost smell the stale beer and cheap perfume. No bullshit. Just rock and roll, the way it should be.

Then they hit you with “Hard to Handle.” Otis Redding. A classic. Most bands, they touch a classic, they turn it to dust. They make it sound like a commercial for toothpaste. These guys? They took it, beat it up, and made it their own. It still had the swagger, the funk, but it was grittier.