Butter Miracle, Suite One

2021 EP by Counting Crows

Butter Miracle

A woman with buttered toast for a head reclining in a field of yellow flowers and candles with a large plate of butter in front of her

EP by

Counting Crows

Released

May 21, 2021 (2021-05-21)

Genre

Alternative rock

Length

18:54

Label

BMG

Producer

Brian Deck

Counting Crows chronology

Somewhere Under Wonderland
(2014)

Butter Miracle
(2021)

Singles from Butter Miracle

"Elevator Boots"

Butter Miracle is an EP by Counting Crows. "Elevator Boots" was released as the first single for the four-track EP in April 2021. The full EP, titled Butter Miracle, Suite One, was released on May 21, 2021. A second EP, Butter Miracle, Suite Two, will be released and together form a full album.^[1]

Background and recording

Adam Duritz spent a lot of time in England in 2019 and started writing songs for a new album.^[2] When the band ran into the pandemic they were 85% done with the record.^[2] The record was later finished in July 2020.^[2]

The writing for Suite Two was completed by 2022 and Duritz performed vocals on two tracks from the Gang of Youths album Angel in Realtime and at the end, believed that the initial songwriting was not strong enough, so he decided to rewrite those songs and add an additional composition; recording for the follow-up could only happen once the band is done with touring.^[3]

Reception

Henry Yates of Classic Rock scored this album a 7 out of 10, writing that "Duritz's melodic powers at full stretch you can't help but be buttered up".^[4] Dave Holmes of Esquire called this music "pure Counting Crows, comforting without feeling like a retread, elevated bar rock and beat storytelling unfolding over four tracks".^[5] At PopMatters, Adam Finley rated this Butter Miracle an 8 out of 10, stating that "Adam Duritz is a strong contender for the best songwriter of his generation" for music that has "a classic rock feel", with "four disparate compositions in... a seamless whole".^[6] Rolling Stone described the EP as "a melodic, wistful ode to life on tour, with a sound that somehow manages to bridge the gap between The Band and Mott the Hoople."^[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adam Duritz

*Butter Miracle, Suite One*
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Tall Grass"	4:34
2.	"Elevator Boots"	3:48
3.	"Angel of 14th Street"	5:01
4.	"Bobby and the Rat-Kings"	5:29
Total length:		18:54

The vinyl version features the song "August and Everything After" (8:41) on the B side.^[5]

Personnel

Counting Crows

Jim Bogios – drums, percussion
David Bryson – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandola
Adam Duritz – vocals
Charles Gillingham – piano, Mellotron, organ
David Immerglück – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, twelve-string guitar, bass guitar
Millard Powers – bass guitar, acoustic guitar
Dan Vickrey – electric Guitar, twelve-string guitar, classical guitar

Additional personnel

Brian Deck – mixing, production
Dave Drago – backing vocals
Meghan Foley – art direction
Beth Hoeckel – artwork
Neil Strauch – recording
Curtis Watson – trumpet

References

^ ^a ^b "Exclusive: Hear Counting Crows' First New Music in Seven Years". RollingStone.com. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Enos, Morgan (18 May 2021). "Adam Duritz On Counting Crows' New EP 'Butter Miracle, Suite One' & Finally Catching A Break From The Critics". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^ Pelsor, Matt (2023-05-29). "WTTS in Conversation – Adam Duritz of Counting Crows". WTTS. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
^ Yates, Henry (Summer 2021). "The Hard Stuff: The Ultimate Rock Reviews". Classic Rock. No. 290. p. 84. ISSN 1464-7834.
^ ^a ^b Holmes, Dave (2021-05-21). "Counting Crows Are Not a Punchline. How Can This Be?". Entertainment > Music. Esquire. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
^ Finley, Adam (2021-06-16). "Counting Crows: Butter Miracle, Suite One (Album Review)". Album Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved 2023-08-07.