This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Musical trends come and go, but the ever-mellow Counting Crows never change — they’re still the rock equivalent of carrot muffins and patchouli oil.
Here on their third studio outing, they exhibit a looser, rootsier groove, mainly due to the presence of Cracker frontman and indie-rock wizard David Lowery in the producer’s chair. But the bottom line is these guys just don’t know how to rock. When they aim for The Band, they come off as bland. When they shoot for Van Morrison, they end up with Van Cliburn. The best song here, ironically enough, is the hidden track, a Faces-like rocker called Kid Things. Otherwise, there’s no reason to buy This Desert Life — you’ll be able to hear it for free at the nearest coffeehouse any day now.
