I've been thinking about Sheryl Crow lately (and what with her breakup with the yellow one, who hasn't?) and I've just been wondering why she doesn't get more respect. Now don't get me wrong I am in NO way a die-hard fan of hers and I'm not expecting PJ Harvey/Cat Power style critical hossannas but she gets nothing. Instead, Sheryl is absent-mindedly put in the same category as Melissa Etheridge, Vanessa Carlton, etc. as female artists that someone likes, just not you. Now La Crow has made her share of stinkers: her cover of 'Sweet Child O'Mine', 'The First Cut is the Deepest' and even most of The Globe Sessions but that doesn't discount the good stuff.
Tuesday Night Music Club is a very good debut and if you can ignore all the bickering between collaborators (and you can now that over a decade has passed) you have a great set of songs: the achingly tender 'Strong Enough', the somber 'Leaving Las Vegas' and, her breakout hit, 'All I Wanna Do' which despite it's off-putting ubiquity is actually a really really well-written song-very laconic, funny and blissfully casual.
Her second album is her masterwork- the self-titled LP found her in darker form, previously only hinted by her Led Zep cover 'D'yer Mak'er', with funny and bitter songs with a distinctly 90s style- check out 'If It Makes You Happy', 'Maybe Angels' and 'Redemption Day'..
This also not to mention her lesser but still great work on 2002's C'mon C'mon and last year's Wildflower...She's not the greatest thing in the world but her unassuming style never hurt anyone so go ahead and give her another listen. Is it really going to hurt?
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