The Black Crowes played boogie-driven, dirty rock music as if it were the only genre even worth considering. Their songs seemed retro upon their debut, and timeless all those decades later. The Black Crowes are one of the best rock n’ roll bands that the U.S.A. has ever produced and certainly one of the most rock n’ roll-sounding of any group anywhere.

The band may have been snubbed recently by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But what do they know?

Here are the 10 greatest songs by the marvelously entertaining The Black Crowes.

The Greatest 10 Songs by The Black Crowes

10. “Twice as Hard”

It’s hard to imagine this, but a lot of what we’d now call “classic rock” had fallen out of favour by the 1980s. Sure, guitar-based music was still running the charts. But those hits had more in common with heavy metal’s attack than blues-influenced groove-based music.

In the heyday of pop metal and just before the arrival of grunge, the swaggering boogie rock of “Shake Your Money Maker” was a revelation. Fans of The Rolling Stones and, especially, Faces had brand-new heroes all of a sudden.

It was no gimmick either. Songs like “Twice as Hard” may have sounded rootsy and retro. But the playing and songwriting were so tight that the song could immediately be added to both classic rock and modern pop radio playlists.

9. “Blackberry”

In fairness, it was always going to be hard to maintain the momentum of the band’s debut even without the infighting and colossal amount of booze and drugs going around.

By the time of the release of the fourth record by The Black Crowes, “Three Snakes and a Charm,” it was the rock faithful who had stuck around.

That doesn’t mean, however, that regular pop listeners would’ve been left unentertained had they decided to drop by. “Blackberry” is the easiest-going, direct and catchiest track on the record. It’s also one of the group’s most underrated cuts. I admit that it’s The Crowes song that I play most often.

8. “Sting Me”

There are plenty of bands across the U.S. and the rest of the world that play the old rockin’ hits. Few of them earn a following. Not many of them manage to stamp their authority on those tunes.

The Black Crowes possessed so much confidence and energy on their debut that few, if any, critics complained about the band sounding a lot like Rod Stewart’s Faces. Why would you?

Plus, with songs like “Sting Me,” the band certainly made this boogie rock sound its own and added a few new classics.

7. “Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye”

When brothers Rich and Chris Robinson announced to their parents that they would form a band together, their dad wasn’t very encouraging. He claimed that the former couldn’t really play guitar and, certainly, the latter couldn’t sing.

But if that was ever the case, by the time of the band’s sophomore record, “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” Chris had developed one of the most distinctive singing styles in all of rock.

“Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye” is a minimalist, loose jam. But it’s Chris Robinson’s expressive, soulful lines during the verses that make this a real winner. It’s no wonder that only years later, Jimmy Page would be so eager to play with the band.

6. “Hard to Handle”

Covers can be a shortcut to the top of the charts. Just ask bands like Van Halen, Santana or The Black Crowes.

But bands can’t simply deliver a cover competently for it to become a hit. The Black Crowes change little about the arrangement of this Otis Redding classic.

What they do contribute to “Hard to Handle” is an outstanding amount of energy and swagger. Audiences rediscovered old soul singers, discovered the Crowes, and offered The Robinson Brothers and company a colossal hit.

5. “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution”

They say that trends in rock n’ roll are cyclical. If you manage to hang around long enough, you become cool all over again. This is precisely what happened to The Black Crowes.

Nearly three decades into their careers, they were now viewed as survivors. The few rock critics who were still around praised the “Warpaint” album as an effort to keep guitar music alive.

And, frankly, “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” is so charming that it’s hard not to fall under the magic of The Black Crowes all over again.

4. “She Talks to Angels”

Yes, in the end, it was a power ballad that cemented the rise to the top of this band. That in itself isn’t much different from the story of countless pop-metal bands with which The Black Crowes competed.

Still, even with the big production values of “She Talks to Angels,” you can hear The Crowes taking inspiration from the blues and folk tradition.

It’s hard for a roots rock band to get a song overplayed on the radio. But this is nearly what happened to “She Talks to Angels,” one of the biggest power ballads of all time.

3. “A Conspiracy”

The Black Crowes survived the hype. Chris Robinson’s grin and swagger weren’t much affected by decreasing record sales either.

By the time the cover of “Amorica” was getting banned around record shops, the group’s fame was on a declining trajectory. But the energy and songwriting chops were intact.

Blame all of that on the combustible potential of the Robinsons’ sibling rivalry, one that could rival that of Oasis‘ Gallaghers.

“A Conspiracy” remains a defiant, catchy rock single by a band that, from its inception, played with the confidence that all of the world had to hear them.

2. “Thorn in My Pride”

The Black Crowes didn’t exactly feel the need to remake their famous debut. Even they must have known that bettering it was nearly impossible.

But the band didn’t reject its rootsy sound either. Instead, “The Southern Harmony” is a record made by a confident, fearless band that sounds at ease blending folk, country, and blues influences.

The minimalist acoustic “Thorn in My Pride” proved this band could achieve success while truly being able to play at either top volume or in soulful whispers.

1.”Remedy”

The Black Crowes were retro rock before that was even a thing. But their sound wasn’t slight. In an era where grunge, heavy metal, and hip-hop were all fighting for chart positions, the boogie-rock of The Crowes could compete with any of those sounds.

“Remedy” doesn’t exactly sound like a fully formed song. It rather feels like the outro of some manic, psychedelic jam. The highlights are Chris Robinson’s ad-libs and the call-and-response between him and the backup singers.

Few bands looked or sounded cooler in the 1990s than The Black Crowes. They brought the boogie back onto the charts. “Remedy” is the group’s shining moment and one of the greatest songs ever recorded.