Sheryl Crow CD

Personnel: Sheryl Crow (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano, Hammond organ, harmonium, keyboards, bass, Wurlitzer, pennyosley, loops); Jeff Trott (vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, loops); Neil Finn (vocals); Todd Wolfe (electric guitar, guitar); Steve Donnelly (electric guitar, dobro); RSBryan (guitar); Jane Scarpantoni (strings); Mitchell Froom (harmonium, keyboards); Steve Berlin (saxophone); Bob Stewart, Curtis Fowlkes, Dave Douglas, Josh Roseman (horns); Davey Faragher, Dan Rothchild, Tad Wadhams, Anders Rundblad (bass); Wally Ingram (drums, djembe); Brian MacLeod (drums, loops); Pete Thomas, Jim Keltner, Michael Urbano (drums).
Engineers include: Trina Shoemaker, Blair Lamb, Tchad Blake.
Recorded at Sunset Sound Factory and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California; Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana.
SHERYL CROW won a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.
"If It Makes You Happy" won a 1997 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
"Everyday Is A Winding Road" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy for Record Of The Year.
Personnel: Sheryl Crow (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Jeff Trott (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Neil Finn (vocals); Steve Donnelly, Todd Wolfe (guitar, electric guitar, dobro); Anders Rundblad (guitar); R.S. Bryan (wah-wah guitar); Jane Scarpantoni (strings); Steve Berlin (saxophone); Curtis Fowlkes, Josh Roseman, Dave Douglas , Bob Stewart (horns); Mitchell Froom (harmonium, keyboards); Michael Urbano (drums, snare drum); Wally Ingram (drums, djembe); Pete Thomas , Jim Keltner, Brian MacLeod (drums).
Audio Mixer: Tchad Blake.
Recording information: Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, LA; Sunset Sound Factory, L.A., CA.
Photographers: Steen Sundland; James Minchin; Stephanie Pfriender.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Jeff Trott; Mitchell Froom; Sheryl Crow.
Hiring noted roots experimentalists Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom as engineer and consultant, respectively, Sheryl Crow took a cue from their Latin Playboys project for her second album -- she kept her roots rock foundation and added all sorts of noises, weird instruments, percussion loops, and off-balance production to give Sheryl Crow a distinctly modern flavor. And, even with the Stonesy grind of "Sweet Rosalyn" or hippie spirits of "Love Is a Good Thing," it is an album that couldn't have been made any other time than the '90s. As strange as it may sound, Sheryl Crow is a postmodern masterpiece of sorts -- albeit a mainstream, post-alternative, postmodern masterpiece. It may not be as hip or innovative as, say, the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, but it is as self-referential, pop culture obsessed, and musically eclectic. Throughout the record, Crow spins out wild, nearly incomprehensible stream-of-consciousness lyrics, dropping celebrity names and products every chance she gets ("drinking Falstaff beer/Mercedes Ruehl and a rented Leer"). Often, these litanies don't necessarily add up to anything specific, but they're a perfect match for the mess of rock, blues, alt-rock, country, folk, and lite hip-hop loops that dominate the record. At her core, she remains a traditionalist -- the songcraft behind the infectious "Change Would Do You Good," the bubbly "Everyday Is a Winding Road," and the weary "If It Makes You Happy" helped get the singles on the radio -- but the production and lyrics are often at odds with those instincts, creating for a fascinating and compelling (and occasionally humorous) listen and one of the most individual albums of its era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Since crashing the gates with 1993's TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB, Sheryl Crow's brand of melodic pop has won her some Grammys and kept her constantly on the road. On the followup album, the one-time background singer retains her sweet delivery laced with gruff edges, while painting her sunny sound with darker shadings. Quirky characters and situations continue to inhabRolling Stone (10/31/02, p.140) - Ranked # 44 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums"
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.54) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Rolling Stone (10/3/96, pp.69-71) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...SHERYL CROW...finds the singer more forcefully asserting her own voice as an artist and a woman....she operates more like a leader than a club member this time, writing a few songs independently and imbuing all them with a greater sense of who she is....The lyrics seem grittier and more intimate..."
Spin (11/96, p.121) - 8 (out of 10) - "...bigger beats and dirtier guitar/keyboard effects....Nothing extreme, perhaps, but almost psychedelic when joined to big mainstream melodies....It just sounds gorgeous, and current...pop musicians will be learning from it for years to come."
Entertainment Weekly (12/27/96-1/3/97, p.148) - Ranked #7 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "Top 10 Albums And Singles Of 1996."
Entertainment Weekly (9/27/96, pp.76-78) - "...Crow doesn't expose that much of herself on SHERYL CROW--she's an emotional centrist. But at the very least, she's building a bridge to a lasting career." - Rating: A-
Q (12/99, p.90) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The Rolling Stone (10/31/02, p.140) - Ranked # 44 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums" 1990s."
Q (1/94, p.82) - Included in Q's list of 'The 50 Best Albums Of 1993' - "...a mature, progressive, marvelous new record..."
Q (11/96, p.124) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...radio friendly, not too self-important, light on its feet, sometimes too ready to disclaim any serious intent..."
Village Voice (3/94, p.5) - Ranked #2 in the Village Voice's 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.
Village Voice (2/25/97) - Ranked #26 in the Village Voice's 1996 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.