Much like a James Bond film, the albums of San Francisco rock combo Counting Crows follow a similar pattern each time: A new release every 3 years, recorded in a big house in Hollywood and a collection of timeless tunes that you'll be humming until the next album.

Hard Candy doesn't mess with the formula, in fact if anything, it ups the ante on great songs to the point where it rivals their debut 'August & Everything After' as the best album of their career. Mind you the Crows don't do anything special, they just do it better than anything out there in FM Radio land.

The 'feel good' pop of songs like 'American Girls' and 'Hard Candy' should lift them back into the mainstream charts while such guest appearances by alt.country heroes Ryan Adams & Leona Nass won't hurt their credibility.

As always lead man Adam Duritz has a story or two to tell. Whether it's about sleeping with movie stars ('Holiday in Spain') or coping with a miscarriage from an already unwanted pregnancy ('Carriage'), Duritz conveys his feelings with passion and humility. In the insomnia inspired track 'Goodnight L.A.' when he says, "I been up for 38 hours and it don't look like sleep's coming soon", you understand his pain.

When a band first hits the scene, it's easy enough to compare them to legends like The Byrds and The Band. After four albums the Counting Crows have proved their equal. As far as Bond films go, this is Sean Connery in 'From Russia with Love'.