 By Your Side was generally well received by critics . Regarding the songwriting , most reviewers praised The Black Crowes for returning to the straightforwardness of Shake Your Money Maker ( 1990 ) following the more adventuresome Amorica ( 1994 ) and Three Snakes and One Charm . Gemma Tarlach of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel welcomed the album " because it represents a great band 's return to what it does best " , calling it " 45 minutes of good , dirty fun " . Wall of Sound 's Russell Hall found that the band 's emergence from " the jam @-@ band haze that 's infected " their recent work resulted in a " laser @-@ sharp focus " . Mark Falkner of The Florida Times @-@ Union said that beyond the band 's mastery of their influences ' musical styles , what prevents them " from being just another tribute act is that they have ( also ) mastered the power , the passion and the fun that made the mix work " . Some critics , also noting the change in approach , derided the band for returning to mine the same influences perceived in their debut album . Jim Farber of the Daily News thus described By Your Side as " a copy @-@ of @-@ a @-@ copy @-@ of @-@ a @-@ copy " and marked " Go Faster " a sped @-@ up version of Humble Pie 's " Hot ' n ' Nasty " . The Times ' Nigel Williamson called " HorseHead " " Zeppelinesque " and labeled " By Your Side " " a kicking boogie half way between [ the Faces ' ] ' Cindy Incidentally ' and [ The Rolling Stones ' ] ' Tumbling Dice ' " . Steve Dougherty of People summed up by commenting , " Purists will wonder why to buy this album when [ The Rolling Stones ' ] 1972 Exile on Main Street or [ Rod ] Stewart 's 1970 Gasoline Alley exist on CD . " 
