Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/24/1996
Run Time: 56:28
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, All Music Guide
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