I'm getting spoiled, really.

The last month hasn't been too shabby when it comes to catching the reawakening of a couple of my favorite female performers. Jodie Foster thrilled me in Panic Room and less than a month later Sheryl Crow blesses me with her first studio album since too long. It's almost too much for such a simple mind to handle.

If you are familiar with any of Sheryl's other albums, you know that she has been able to bring her own style to each of her albums and has done a great job of taking the songs on an album and presenting a body of work that gives the listener a sense of what to expect, yet not coming across as so generic that it spoils the enjoyment of the songs individually.

Sheryl's instrumentals and Sheryl's vocals are the qualities I take notice in all of her albums. The combination of her guitar, her lyrics and her vocals define what I am looking for in Sheryl's music. She has always displayed a great depth and range in arrangements that I appreciate as well. C'mon, C'mon definitely stays within the rubric of Sheryl's style and yet is altogether different than everything she has done before.

There are some very outstanding songs on this disc. I bow to Sheryl for taking some time to pay homage to Steve McQueen in a song of the same name. Although the song wouldn't have had a chance to be played in any of his movies, I think it captures the spirit of Steve McQueen, and perhaps more importantly captures an essence of the icon that Steve McQueen has been. (I think I may go watch Bullitt or The Getaway after writing this review.)

Soak up the Sun is a great song, the single that we have heard on the radio. I first heard it on the radio when I was at the gym, and half-mile or so I ran while it was on just went right by. You will find yourself singing it, and not just because AmEx has already licensed it for commercials.

Indeed, their are plenty of great songs on this album. Sheryl proves she can still rock on You're an Original, Lucky Kid, and Hole in my Pocket. She tries a couple of ballads in Safe and Sound and Over you. Diamond Road is a good song and a sleeper hit on this album. I don't think their are really any huge duds in this album although It's So Easy comes close for me. Perhaps it is the sound of a piano that throws it all off in my mind.

The only complaints I had of this album were that it seems "overdone" to me at times. Part of what I loved about Sheryl's other albums is how well her vocals stood out, even in compilation. On this latest album, it sometimes sounds like the producers discovered this odd thing called a mixer that was lying around the studio and decided they needed to use it, all the time. Therefore, some of what I loved about Sheryl is sort of muted throughout and that does take some enjoyment from me. But perhaps when I get over that difference, I'll enjoy the tracks even more.

In the end, it's a strong album. It's another piece in Sheryl's collection, but will never be confused with what she has done before.