Counting Crows - AUGUST AND... ((Vinyl))

Counting Crows: Matt Malley (vocals, guitar, bass); David Bryson (vocals, guitar); Charlie Gillingham (vocals, accordion, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Chamberlain); Adam Duritz (vocals, piano, harmonica); Steve Bowman (vocals, drums).
Additional personnel: David Immergluck (vocals, guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, mandocello); Bill Dillon (guitar, guitorgan); T-Bone Burnett (guitar); Denny Fongheiser (drums, percussions); Maria McKee, Gary Louris, Mark Olson (background vocals).
Counting Crows were nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. "Round Here" was nominated for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
Counting Crows: Adam Duritz (vocals, piano, harmonica); Matt Malley (guitar, bass, background vocals); David Bryson (guitar, background vocals); Charlie Gillingham (accordion, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Chamberlain, background vocals); Steve Bowman (drums, background vocals).
Additional personnel: David Immergluck (guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, mandocello, background vocals); Bill Dillon (guitar, guitorgan); T-Bone Burnett (guitar); Denny Fongheiser (drums, percussion); Maria McKee, Gary Louris, Mark Olson (background vocals).
Counting Crows were nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. "Round Here" was nominated for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
When the prevailing guitar jingle of "Mr. Jones" cascaded over radio in the early '90s, it was a sure sign that the Counting Crows were a musical force to be reckoned with. Their debut album, August and Everything After, burst at the seams with both dominant pop harmonies and rich, hearty ballads, all thanks to lead singer Adam Duritz. The lone guitar work of "Mr. Jones" coupled with the sweet, in-front pull of Duritz's voice kicked off the album in full force. The starkly beautiful and lonely sounding "Round Here" captured the band's honest yet subtle talent for singing ballads, while "Omaha" is lyrically reminiscent of a Springsteen tune. The fusion of hauntingly smooth vocals with such instruments as the Hammond B-3 organ and the accordion pumped new life into the music scene, and their brisk sound catapulted them into stardom. On "Rain King," the piano takes over as its aloof flair dances behind Duritz with elegant crispness. The slower-paced "Raining in Baltimore" paints a perfectly gray picture and illustrates the band's ease at conveying mood by eliminating the tempo. Most of the songs here engage in overly contagious hooks that won't go away, making for a solid bunch of tunes. Containing the perfect portions of instrumental and vocal conglomeration, the Counting Crows showed off their appealing sound to its full extent with their very first album. [August and Everything After was re-released on LP in 2017.] ~ Mike DeGagne

• RSD Release Date: n/a
• Genre: Pop