Amassed from three sold-out shows at the Roxy in L.A. earlier this year, “Brothers of a Feather”displays Black Crowes founders Chris and Rich Robinson very much in their natural habitat. A front porch-like stage setting, complete with table (for beers), chairs, and an oft-referred-to coat rack, brings the casual best out of these hippy sibs as they breeze through a career’s worth of obscure Crowes tracks, unreleased artifacts, and well-disguised covers. Twenty songs over nearly two hours of tape, with splicing from three nights (which isn’t always so seamless, like when Rich removes his coat at the end of the opener “Horsehead,” only to have it magically back on for “Cursed Diamond”). A few new originals get propped up, including a Dylan-ish “Someday Past the Sunset” and a bluesy, slide-guitar number called “Magic Rooster Blues.” They forego the big, popular Crowes hits, opting instead for quieter, more subtle material. Chris, looking as skuzzy and unkempt as ever, strums awkwardly on a few cuts, including “Over the Hill” by Scottish folk singer John Martyn, one of many hard-to-identify covers. But when they really want to bring it, the Robinsons succeed wildly. “Better When You’re Not Alone,” with a really cool harmony vocal by Rich, and the catchy sing-along “Welcome to the Goodtimes,” featuring a nifty saxophone part and spot-on background vocals by two ladies, are the project’s highlights. A rustic, bare-bones version of “Jealous Again,” also finding Rich’s vocal contributions, winds up the DVD in signature fashion.
