CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD

Barefoot In The Head 8/10 Cosmic American maestros dabble in acid folk

Rich Robinson’s return to the fray, with the recent Magpie Salute album of covers and old songs, is a further reminder of how productive his brother Chris has been since the demise of their former band, the Black Crowes. Barefoot In The Head is the fifth CRB album in five years (seven if you count a couple of live sets), and further evidence of Robinson’s easy-going profligacy. this time out, there’s a greater emphasis on acoustic guitars and folksiness, with adam MacDougall’s squelchier Moog settings kept to a minimum: “Blonde Light Of Day” is a gorgeous stab at CSN soul; “high Is Not the top” a deftly fingerpicked country-rock anthem. as ever, you wish they’d stretch out and jam a bit more in the studio, but this might just be the most satisfying CRB set since 2012’s Big Moon Ritual. of the 16-minute noodle, “Squash”, Marshmallow finds him distorting his lushest pop instincts, from the insistent loveliness of “Sometimes” to the almost pastoral plasticity of the title track, which sounds like Prince and Marc Bolan making eyes at each other while henderson dissects sweet nothings.