After an 11-year wait, Counting Crows released their latest work on May 9. The nine-track album, Butter Miracle: The Complete Sweets!, builds from their 2021 EP. It has clever lyrics, excellent vocals, and memorable hooks. It also includes louder guitars and some horns.
The band spent two years crafting and shaping the music. They took their 2021 EP Butter Miracle: Suite One and added five new songs. “I sat on these songs because I was unsure of them for a couple of years,” said Adam Duritz to Entertainment Focus.
New additions to the album mix old and new sounds: “With Love, From A-Z,” “Spaceman in Tulsa,” “Boxcars,” “Virginia Through the Rain,” and “Under the Aurora.” Each track weaves rock and folk with hints of pop, and Duritz created memorable characters in his songwriting.
Work on the album took an unexpected turn. After hearing Gang of Youths’ “Angel in Realtime” in 2022, Duritz stopped production. This break sparked changes that shaped the final sound.
“The choruses were re-written here in America but the verses were all written in England,” said Duritz.
Starting on June 10 in Nashville, the band hits the road. Their world tour spans 40 cities across North America before crossing the Atlantic to finish in London on November 1.
The Gaslight Anthem joins the North American leg as special guests. Fans will hear most new songs live for the first time. The closing track, “Bobby and the Rat Kings,” has classic rock influences.
This marks their first full album since Somewhere Under Wonderland in 2014. Charlie Gillingham’s piano meets David Immerglück’s guitar work to create a fresh mix of musical styles that still keeps the band’s core sound. Counting Crows formed in the early 1990s, and many people admire their distinctive music and vocals.
