The Wonderful, Wonderful Crowes

The history of the rock n' roll side project is a long, storied diatribe of popular musicians taking the road less traveled (see Tiger Army frontman Nick 13's take on twangy country) as well as roads that just should not be traveled, ever, under any circumstances (anyone hear Madball lead-throat Freddy Cricien's hip-hop record? No? Didn't think so). So it is expected that the listener will approach Gaslight Anthem majordomo Brian Fallon's spare time experiment The Horrible Crowes with some caution. For a man known for his fist in the air, bombastic celebrations of working class New Jersey kids falling in love and driving old Cadillacs up and down highway 95 looking for an escape, a dark, dismal blues record may seem somewhat of an unwelcome departure at first glance. Where is the smiling, affable "aw shucks" Fallon we have grown to know and love? Not here. But for those afraid to step away from the late night diners and drive-ins we have become so comfortable in when we visit Fallon's cigarette stained tenor, it would honestly behoove you to trust him enough to step a little more onto the dark side this time around with the Horrible Crowes maiden voyage, "Elsie."

The Crowes' debut (which is not a solo project; Gaslight guitar tech Ian Perkins helped Fallon craft this masterpiece) begins with the haunting introduction "Last Rites," which segues beautifully into opening number "Sugar." "Sugar" makes the perfect opener for "Elsie," because it's the closest we'll ever get into Gaslight-land, and it makes a great bridge between Fallon's day job and his hobby. No one can tug the heart strings like this guy. Try to keep your vital organs from melting when he aches "I know you get lonely at night. Nobody knows you like I do." The way this man can take a pedestrian sentence that could be used in everyday speech and turn it into a gut wrenching plea is astounding. Next up is the obvious single, "Behold the Hurricane." The song is a radio ready smash that lithely sways in and out of the most beautiful chorus John Mellencamp never thought to write.

As with everything Mr. Fallon touches, the ghost of The Boss hovers dutifully over "Elsie." The press around Gaslight has exhausted the comparisons to Bruce Springsteen to a ridiculous point, but on "Elsie" the dead horse finds itself being beaten once again on Nebraska-esque cuts like "Cherry Blossoms" and "Black Betty and the Moon" (Fallon's own "Atlantic City.")

The fact of the matter is, "Elsie" is damn near perfect and contains what might be Fallon's best work to date. After the release of a few solo acoustic songs last year, many wondered what the punk poet might produce if left to his own devices. The gospel and blues influences that were hinted at on (The Gaslight Anthem's 2010 effort) "American Slang" have become full fledged realities on "Elsie," where we find Fallon yelping like a southern preacher on the dirty blues of "Mary Ann," which sounds like Mick and Keith themselves could've penned the song during their "Exile on Main Street" sessions.

Gaslight Anthem go-to producer Ted Hutt also manned the boards for the "Elsie" sessions, but the razor sharp production he showcased on that band's last two full length has loosened its' stranglehold here, allowing beautiful Hammond organs to flourish in the background of these 11 cuts and Perkins' guitar strings to be heard individually, as well as Fallon's voice reaching never before seen levels of wailing and emoting.

"Elsie's" crown jewel comes 8 tracks in, with the astounding "Crush." What begins as a dreamy boyhood love story ends with the triumphant gospel tinged final refrain of "If you should go there before I do, God's gonna toe the water. And tell all my friends that I'm comin' too, God's gonna toe the water." The lyric brings to mind the image of Fallon belting out beautifully from punk rock's folkier altar, with a congregation of Matt Skibas and Chuck Ragans following along in their psalm books, smiling at Fallon's version of heaven for grizzled, tattooed punks

While Fallon has maintained that the Gaslight Anthem is his main focus, one can't help but wonder if The Horrible Crowes is what the Good Lord intended he use his beautiful voice for. He seems comfortable, 100% in the driver's seat for all of these songs, and the results are absolutely amazing. "Elsie" is absolutely a ten out of ten, 5 star effort and although a bit darker and rustic sounding, a perfectly necessary addition to the collection of any Gaslight, fan young or old. "Elsie" proves that, if nothing else, if we ever live in a world that no longer needs the Gaslight Anthem, Brian Fallon will be OK. And as long as he has a microphone in front of him and a guitar in his hands, so will you. "Elsie" is available now at Best Buy for $9.99.