Black Love: 20Th Anniversary Edition

Melody Maker - Ranked #8 on Melody Maker's list of 1996's `Albums Of The Year.' Rolling Stone - 3 Stars - Good - "...there are elements of originality to be found in the way Afghan Whigs fuse alternative rock's victim mentality with funk and soul to find a moment of transcendence..." NME - 9 (out of 10) - "...the albums they make are the closest pop ever comes to imitating a novel--and not after a self-conscious, Lou Reed fashion, but with all the light and shade that a well-structured novel casts..." RIP - 3 - Meat & Potatoes - "...the band excels, approaching genuine rock intrigue and mystery. Dulli's vocals on `Blame Etc.' really triumph with a frightening quality that is quite unique among today's plethora of pseudo-deep intellectuality." NME - Ranked #31 in NME's 1996 critic's poll. Spin - 8 - Very Good - "...wisely emphasizes the band's exceptional qualities and de-emphasizes the alt-rock overlays....when a couple of songs, like the magnificent `Going To Town' and `Faded,' use dance beats or gospel straight-up, Afghan Whigs never quite offer the mere soul recital..." Q - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...its mature aspirations and stylish gait stand tall amongst the sorry, derivative imports that constitute this year's `American Invasion'..." Melody Maker - Bloody Essential - "...reeks of suspicion, doubt, paranoia, double-dealing and retribution....The Whigs' brand of rock has a kind of rich meatiness which not only marks them as quintessentially male...but also gives their slabby, prime-steak sound a suffocating darkness and density..." Musician - "...seeking new and inventive ways to depict a soul on fire...BLACK LOVE...portrays lust, revenge, anger and other juicy stuff with [Dulli's] usual impressive fervor..."

The Afghan Whigs hit a high-water mark with 1993's Gentlemen, an album that upped their game musically and plumbed the depth of Greg Dulli's self-loathing with its tales of a ladies' man whose attitude toward women (and himself) borders on the malignant. It was the band's finest and most most ambitious work, and the band was faced with the challenge of trying to top it with 1996's Black Love. The performances on Black Love are every bit as strong as those on Gentlemen, as Rick McCollum's mix of hard rock riffing and wailing slide guitar grew even stronger and the rhythm section laid down a beat that hit hard but retained a bit of their more graceful R&B influences. And vintage soul and funk were a significantly bigger part of the band's formula this time out, with the keyboards on "Bulletproof," the strings and percussion on "Blame, Etc.," and the hip-hop-influenced percussion on "Going to Town" serving as key signifiers. The band was in great form on Black Love, even if Greg Dulli's songwriting wasn't as impressive, though songs like "My Enemy," "Honky's Ladder," and "Night by Candlelight" are striking and well crafted. The Afghan Whigs were too good a band to make an album that wasn't worth hearing, and the musicians blaze hard on Black Love, one of their toughest-sounding works. ~ Mark Deming|