Record Rack

On the brink of the new millennium, the Black Crowes’ latest collection (due Tuesday) features the same old-fashioned rock. But it’s not the impending 21st century that makes these 11 anthemic love songs, glam-tinged ballads and epic mid-tempo rockers sound so musty. It’s the utter lack of songwriting innovation from a veteran act that is apparently content to remain a slavish, next-generation disciple of early-’70s Faces and Rolling Stones.

Although such tracks as “HorseHead” and “Kicking My Heart Around” swagger with familiar, satisfying metallic bluesiness, much of the guitar work, while tasty, sounds as hoary as Chris Robinson’s adenoidal, Rod Stewart-esque rasp. The quintet takes a classic-soul turn on “Only a Fool,” and even ventures into the ‘80s with the ringing, Prince-like funk of “Heavy.” But the music proves far more deft and varied than the lyrics’ cliched romantic sentiments.

The Crowes long ago carved a solid pop niche by reviving some of British rock’s finer moments, so this latest dose of living nostalgia will probably please fans, in spite of its faintly stale aftertaste. But it’s a shame that they’ve settled for merely channeling their influences.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.

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* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips