By Your Side was the fifth studio album by The Black Crowes. The 11 track record was released in early 1999 with famed producer Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Journey, Iron Maiden, Joe Bonamassa) behind the boards.

By the time of the records release, The Black Crowes audience had begun to decrease as the band got a little adventurous, immersing themselves in psychedelic and southern rock sounds on their 1994 Amorica, and 1996 Three Snakes and One Charm albums.

The Black Crowes went back to studio with the intent of creating their most straight forward rock record since their best-selling 1990 début record Shake Your Money Maker.

In my opinion By Your Side never reaches the heights of Shake Your Money Maker or 1992's The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion records, but it is easily the closet that The Crowes got in recreating the blusey, Stones-esque sound that put them on the map and on the charts.

Songs like the swagger infused rockers: Go Faster, Kickin' My Heart Around ,Horsehead and the soulful title track are some of the most crowd pleasing songs of their carrier.

So if you lost touch with The Black Crowes, then By Your Side is a great starting point.

The Black Crowes fifth studio album is a lean, mean rock record which represented for one last time that the group had the potential to be one of the best rock acts on the planet.