Well, God, I don't know if I can actually verbalize that. It's so much a part of who I am, that I don't know that I could separate that, and then still continue to have all the molecules together. Because I was so raised with it, and it was so much a part of my upbringing, and the defining of my personality. At every awkward turning in my life, I've always relied on music, and in all the joyous moments-and all the sad moments-it's been the thing that's kind of gotten me through, you know, it's like my faith, really. I think it just defines who I am and how I feel and think. It's just brought a huge dimension in my life, that I don't...I can't imagine not having.- Sheryl Crow on what music has brought to her life
This is one of the main reasons I'm quite fond of Sheryl Crow. The four-album, eight time Grammy winner, even after all the success in her decade long career, is still so passionate and so honestly affected by her music. Not her success, the music itself. To me, it seems that if Crow were to sell 2 records or 20 million records, she would still be present in the music industry. That's something that I doubt many of her colleagues (or people in the industry, in general) would do and is something that separates Sheryl from the pack. Her recently released greatest hits record has hovered in and around the top ten since its early November release.
Tracklisting:
All I Wanna Do (*****)
Soak Up The Sun (****)
My Favorite Mistake (*****)
The First Cut Is The Deepest (*****)
Everyday Is A Winding Road (*****)
Leaving Las Vegas (*****)
Strong Enough (*****)
Light In Your Eyes (**** 1/2)
If It Makes You Happy (*****)
The Difficult Kind (**** 1/2)
Picture featuring Kid Rock (**** 1/2)
Steve McQueen (****)
A Change Would Do You Good (**** 1/2)
Home (*****)
There Goes The Neighborhood (****)
I Shall Believe (**** 1/2)
The First Cut Is The Deepest- Country Version (*****)
From Crow's blockbuster debut record
Tuesday Night Music Club, we get four singles.
All I Wanna Do is a good ol' girl's anthem with the lyrics about a trip to the bar and her drinkin' buddies (among other things) and the mellow clapalong bassline. The street performer-esque guitar (it's just so raw and unpolished) is the highlight while Crow's vocals easily glide across the friendly atmosphere, just looking for a good time.
Leaving Las Vegas, the foot stomping bass heavy track that [insert bad Britney Spears joke here], is a bit more produced than the last song and, with the Gwen Stefani-esque vocals, is one of the most down home songs on the record. The windy backup is done just soft enough that Sheryl gets her time to shine while loud enough so you know they're still there.
Strong Enough, the lonely acoustic heavy seventh track, is yet another winner. With the restrained albeit impassioned vocals, uber poetic lyrics and cool-as-ice vibe, this song is one you can't help but love. Its one of the slower songs on the record where you take the elements of the song singularly instead of an all at once presentation; Crow's vocals are exhausted, frustrated and you feel her pain with every note she sings.
I Shall Believe is a subtle, slowly pounding track with uber emotative vocals that take time to develop and some of the most stark, downtrodeen lyrics of Crow's career. Its production may seem a bit out there and all but it enhances the ambience the mostly percussion verses create.
From her self-titled sophomore set comes four singles.
Everyday Is A Winding Road is a feel good, hollow percussioned track of optimism that is one of the best production jobs on the record. The rocky-by-comparison hook is immediately singable while the trippy guitars and lazy vocals feed into the sunny, lounging vibe perfectly.
If It Makes You Happy is angst-y, moody and more real than anything her contemporaries have released in their entire careers (*cough-
Liz Phair*). Its growl-ridden hook, complete with rhythmic tambourine, is priceless while the brooding nature of the track is what makes
me happy. Dang...that was cheesy. Um...move on...for the sake of my dignity.
A Change Would Do You Good is one of the first songs I remember of Sheryl's that I'm positive I liked. The alternating bass-and-claptrack combined with the bossa nova-ish keyboarding and distorted vocals makes sure that this song is peppy, catchy and a slice of fluffy pop with that eternal Sheryl Crow edge that makes it something special.
Home, the final track from her second disc to make it, is yet another twist in style. This country-ish, ghoustly track of soft vocals, ravishing string work and calm production is one of her most stunning works to date. Despite its lack of flash, this gritty tracks gets ahold of you from the beginning and never lets go. If you listen to any Sheryl song, I say listen to this first because you get her at her most introspective, producing some jaw dropping results.
Coming off of
The Globe Sessions (the only Sheryl record I own aside from the one I'm currently reviewing) are three tracks. The dazzling blues-y
My Favorite Mistake is my favorite Sheryl song with its slick production and strong background guitars, especially on the twangy verses. The percussion comes out during the forlorn hook and offers a more human look at obviously ticked Crow's P.O.V.
The Difficult Kind is a very distant, complex emotative ballad of intense vocals and even more intense country-esque hookline. The pedal steel is used staringly on the song while the production is nothing short of magnificent.
There Goes The Neighborhood is a good song, no doubt, but this jazz influenced, overly produced (well, only slightly) last single from this record isn't anything to write home about. The horns
are cool, though.
My least favorite song on the disc is also the first of two songs from her most recent studio effort
C'Mon C'Mon-
Soak Up The Sun. This peppy (dare I say perky?), produced-out-of-its-mind slackers anthem is stereotypical in its sound. The shimmery bassline is matched by the embracing backup and the carefree percussion.
Steve McQueen is a harder edge, guitar heavy semi-bad a*ss anthem with the stylish production and bar-friendly hook. It's a smidge cheesy but the distorted start to the second verse makes up for it.
Onto the new stuff.
The First Cut Is The Deepest is a painful cover of a Cat Stevens song with lonely guitar, trudging percussion and a not-so-obvious-at-first string pattern. The country version relies less on bass and has a lot of the production elements stripped away.
Light In Your Eyes, a Michelle Branch type song (the producer
was John Shanks, natch), is a strong song but nothing, again, makes me in awe.
Picture...well...we've all heard it before. No need to go into any details.
The Sheryl Crow greatest hits disc is perfect for casual fans who don't want to buy four records for only a handful of songs. This is a rather complete compilation and pop fans, pick this up. Even very open minded rock and country fans could find a few songs that might like.
Great Music To Play While: marvelling at how good Sheryl looks after being in the business for a decade
Last Three Reviews:
Janet Jackson- The Velvet Rope
Avril Lavigne- Let Go
JS- Ice Cream
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