Recorded at Bear Creek, Woodinville, Washington and Robert Lang's Studio, Edmonds, Washington in August and September 1995.

Personnel: John Curley (vocals, guitar, ARP synthesizer); Greg Dulli (vocals, guitar, drums, timpani, percussion, sleigh bell); Happy Chichester (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, organ); Doug Falsetti (vocals, percussion); Jeff Powell, Shawn Smith (vocals); Rick McCollum (guitar, hammer dulcimer); Barbara Hunter (cello); Paul Buchignani (drums, congas, percussion); Jeffrey Reed (sound effects).

Audio Mixers: Greg Dulli; Jeff Powell.

Recording information: Bear Creek, Woodinville, WA (08/1995-09/1995); Robert Lang Studios, Edmonds, WA (08/1995-09/1995).

Photographer: Danny Clinch.

Following the dense, pseudoliterary aspirations of Gentlemen, Black Love sounds nearly lighthearted. That doesn't mean it's a light record -- lead singer/songwriter Greg Dulli has an overwhelming affection for the morose and the twisted. From the grinding guitars to the hardboiled lyrics, the Afghan Whigs revel in the dark side. The problem is, Dulli isn't a compelling enough melodicist to make the songs stick; furthermore, his lyrics frequently sound like posturing, as if they were learned from books and movies. When the Afghan Whigs are at their best, they create a soundscape that evokes the lyrical world Dulli tries so hard to conjure. Rooted in indie guitar rock, the band blends in slight elements of early-'70s soul and R&B, with an occasional country overtone. It reads better than it sounds -- though they play with organs and attempt to land in a groove, but it doesn't amount to genuine, gritty soul. Instead, their funk experiments add another thick layer of grunge. Combined with the clanging guitars and the willfully bleak lyrics, the result is an album so lumbering and unmelodic that it can only be admired, not enjoyed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Well into a career of stoking misery's emotive fires, Greg Dulli and his Afghan Whigs launch into another album that plays like a movie. Appropriately, BLACK LOVE's thematic lyrics, its noire-ish rock-meets-soul styles, and its cover-art are like a grab-bag of clues, depicting the darker side of the human condition. The opening track, "Crime Scene Part One," is one tip-off, the burning sticks of incense are another--both are hints at the indefinite, smoldering and depraved natures of the album's characters.

BLACK LOVE unravels like a dangerous mystery of betrayal. Through Dulli's lense, you witness the sense of fury-inspired disaster--"I'll get the car/You get the match and gasoline," he venomously sings on the brutal "Going To Town." On the wings of a funky, grating guitar of "Blame, Etc.," Dulli manages to uniquely twist the words "blame, deny, betray, divide" into nearly sensual sentiments. Another gripping album, BLACK LOVE brings Dulli's grand cinematic songwriting into focus.