BLACK CROWES - MAXIM EDITOR APOLOGISES TO READERS OVER BLACK CROWES CONTROVERSY

LATEST: The editor of Maxim magazine has apologised to readers for allowing a negative review of the BLACK CROWES' new album - by a writer who hadn't listened to their new release - to appear in the publication. The reformed rock band, fronted by Chris Robinson, were left fuming when they learned the bad review of Warpaint was penned by a reviewer who hadn't heard the entire CD. The album, which was given a rating of two-and-a-half stars out of five in the review, wasn't available in its entirety when the Maxim writer claimed to have reviewed it for the new issue of the magazine. That information prompted Crowes manager Pete Angelus to call the publication's editor and demand an explanation. In a posting on the band's website, he claims the magazine explained that its review was an "educated guess". Now, Maxim's editorial director, James Kaminsky, has responded to the controversy in a statement that reads, "It is Maxim's editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers."