For their fifth album, in stores Tuesday, this Atlanta group joined forces with producer Kevin Shirley (Journey, Silverchair, Aerosmith) for a rollicking return to their more tried-and-true classic rock sound.
 
 Or as raspy-voiced singer Chris Robinson puts it in the band's promo material: "Our last album(1996's Three Snakes And One Charm) was about dealing with your hangover; this one is about the night before the hangover."
 
 Sounds good to me.
 
 Especially if you're into that circa 1970s, Rolling Stones-Rod Stewart-Aerosmith-Led Zeppelin southern blues rock vibe which the Crowes adopted on earlier hits like Hard To Handle.
 
 This solid, if not remarkable, 11-song collection has that sound all over it, from the Stewart-like, uptempo rockers Go Faster and Then She Said My Name, to the catchy first single, Kicking My Heart Around, which could be Stones or Aerosmith material from a few decades ago, to the Zeppelin-influenced Heavy and Virtue And Vice.
 
 There's also some nice soulful backup vocal work on such songs as Horsehead,Only A Fool, Diamond Ring and the more trippy Go Tell The Congregation.
 
 The biggest misstep is the sluggish ballad Welcome To The Goodtimes, which, despite the horn playing of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, never gets off the ground.
 
 Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the Crowes' latest musical merry-making follows a tumultuous couple of years.
 
 Their previous guitarist either left or quit, along with their last bassist, and then there were strained relations with their previous label, not to mention a former road manager who unsuccessfully took them to court for money he claimed to be owed.
 
 The brothers Robinson -- Chris is on vocals while Rich plays both rhythm and lead guitar on this album for the first time -- have also admitted to some heated arguments while writing By Your Side together.
 
 Sometimes tough times bring about the best work.
 
 What remains to be seen is how a retro-sounding rock band -- revitalized though they may be -- will fare in a musical landscape that looks like it will continue to be dominated by divas, teen groups and hip-hop.
 
 Fans probably already know the Black Crowes arrive in Toronto this week to chat up their new album and play a private show for contest winners at the Phoenix on Thursday.