Long Weekend.  

Counting Crows first album of new songs in six years is divided into a rocking side and a softer side called­ “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.” Not exactly a novel idea but Adam Durity’s lyrics define another difference between the two sides of the cd.  “It’s an album all about sin and regret” he says, “Saturday night being the night you f*** yourself up and Sunday morning is the time you regret it.” Two producers further differentiate the songs but all gimmicks aside, it’s an album that is among their best.

The mopey, sad-sack vocals by Duritz have defined Counting Crows since their beginning and he is in full woeful mode here lamenting his “sins”, mostly of a sexual nature. His lothario image resonates in songs like “Los Angeles” singing “If you see that movie star and me, if you see my picture in a magazine I’m just trying to make some sense outta me.” In “1492” he confesses “I bought a gun cuz it impresses all the little girls I see and then they all wanna sleep with me.” The frenetic pace slows in the second half, but acoustic ballads have always been one of the band’s strengths and­ “Washington Square”, “When I Dream of Michelangelo” and­ “Anyone But You” add to that canon. The final song teasingly begins acoustic before the electric guitars kick in for one of the best rockin’ songs, “Come Around.”

Duritz has implied that there’s a lot riding on this album. "I took off for the last few years, but there isn't any more free ride here. Everybody's ass is grass. We're going to be a great band or we're not going to be a band." “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings” sounds like the band was listening.

Listen for songs from Counting Crows’ album “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings” all this week on Paul Shugrue’s new music show “Out of the Box” on Hampton Roads public radio 89.5 WHRV Monday through Thursday from 7pm until 9pm, Saturday afternoon from 1pm to 5pm and on-demand at www.whrv.org/outofthebox.