Pages tagged “sheryl crow”

The Band deserves as much credit as anyone for inventing the country-rock subgenre we now know as Americana, so it made sense that this year’s Americana Music Association conference kicked off Wednesday night here in Nashville with a tribute to The Band’s drummer/singer Levon Helm.

Tomorrow (June 19) night, The Sundance Channel plans to set you up with a very intimate date. The venue: Abbey Road Studios, London. The soundtrack: Dashboard Confessional, Mary J. Blige and James Blunt. The event: the premiere of the second season of Live From Abbey Road.

During a recent AOL Sessions performance, Sheryl Crow revealed plans for a future collaboration with Fleetwood Mac, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Crow said that she and Fleetwood Mac members Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham “definitely have plans for collaborating in the future.” She did not specify whether these plans included recording, touring, or any new material, but stated that fans would likely hear the results sometime next year.

Crow, who recently started touring in support of her new album Detours, would be filling a void left by Fleetwood Mac keyboardist/singer Christine McVie, who retired from the road in 1998. The remaining members’ collaboration with Crow may come as a surprise to some fans, as Nicks had previously stated that she would not continue in Fleetwood Mac without McVie.

As a longtime fan of Fleetwood Mac’s music, Crow said she would be thrilled to sing harmony on songs such as “The Chain” and “Second Hand News.” Crow sang Nicks's praises to EW, saying, “I love people that are not jaded or desensitized and that are still really into what they're doing and into growing as an artist, and that's her.”

Related links:
SherylCrow.com
FleetwoodMac.com
Paste review: Sheryl Crow - "Wildflower"

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All I wanna do… is write good songs

Sheryl Crow is all grown up. She ditched the rocker-chick image long ago and now returns with her fifth studio album, Wildflower—a collection of introspective songs that’s heavy on the flower and hardly wild. Some listeners will cry, “dull!” but Crow remains consistent with almost flawless production, catchy melodies and an undeniably capable voice. She waxes sentimental on vulnerable piano ballad “Always On Your Side” and the acoustic title track, flaunting her vocal range, which has grown with age. Standout track “I Don’t Wanna Know” typifies the album’s demeanor with mopey lyrics and a slow yet catchy melody. Crow reminds us she’s still radio-friendly with “Live It Up”—Wildflower’s token pop ditty, a la “Soak Up The Sun” or “All I Wanna Do”—and popular single “Good Is Good.” Unexpected moments include the dreamy, synth-drenched “Chances Are” (“I was lost inside a daydream / Swimming through the saline”) and the Beatles-inspired “Where Has All The Love Gone,” complete with chiming piano and sunshine harmonies. Crow might not be breaking musical ground, but good is good, and Wildflower’s sure to grow on you.

Nowhere is the axiom “familiarity breeds contempt” better realized than in modern pop-radio formats. So it’s no surprise that an artist like Sheryl Crow—with enough solid hits to dominate this 17-track career-summary release—is thought of more in terms of star power and glamour shots than as a serious singer-songwriter. Sure, “Soak Up the Sun” is pure pop gold that upon oft-repeated listens seems effortless and mundane. But here, in the context of smart-pop songcraft like “All I Wanna Do,” “Everyday is a Winding Road” and “Steve McQueen,” you get the sense that Crow’s more than the usual eye-candy flash in the pan. Why do we love Bonnie Raitt’s failed attempts at a pop breakthrough, but allow success to diminish the credibility of the equally soulful singer Crow? “Strong Enough,” a battle-of-the-sexes anthem, proves as insightful as it is clever. There’s an awkward edge in Crow’s strained delivery on the song and in the melody of “Leaving Las Vegas.” But it works perfectly for the songs’ beguilingly desperate tone. Okay, the duet with Kid Rock on “Picture” is lame, as is her cover of Cat Steven’s “The First Cut Is the Deepest.” But nobody’s perfect. Before making her own way as a solo artist, Crow sang backup for Don Henley, among others. Like him, her literate language and soulful voice are so consistent and reliable, they’ve been used as signs that she’s too contrived and commercially savvy to garner real artistic props. We should get over it. These are fun pop songs that require no further justification.