All right, we know the Crowes are going to sound like the Stones, and by no means is this an insult. The question is, what era of Stones--the assured bluster and raunchy groove of Exile on Main Street or, gasp, the going-through-the-motions of Steel Wheels? Thankfully, their first studio effort in two and a half years tends mostly toward the former. The Robinson boys have actually managed to magnify both their gritty Southern soul (with funky keyboards and vibrant background chants) and their heavy-hitting majesty (with screeching guitar and thumping percussion) simultaneously--and there's still room for some appealing hooks. That's not to say that their songwriting has improved or that their musical vision has broadened considerably; innovation has never been their strong point anyway. At worst, By Your Side is still a big improvement over 1996's often listless Three Snakes and a Charm; at best, it's living proof that the classic Stones swagger--refracted through the Crowes' mounting years of experience--still holds significant sway. Being called the "Stones of the 1990s" is still a compliment (albeit a left-handed one), and at this point they do the Stones a damn sight better than the Stones themselves. --Marc Greilsamer