When Sheryl Crow's 1996 self-titled album went triple platinum, she was a staple of road trips and 35-minute commutes. Her career is arguably the definitive crossover hit of that decade – the rare safe bet for multiple radio formats, both pop and rock'n'roll, arguably a genre unto herself. However, like other artists of her generation, Crow's influence waned as CD players began to disappear from cars. Citing the pressures of the streaming economy, along with a growing family, she claimed that in 2019 Threads, her star-studded duet album, would be her last full-length LP. Then, in recent years, he's recorded enough singles to release a whole new album—a classic songwriter's happy accident.
If there is a noticeable development in Development, is that Crow has decided to relinquish her role as a producer on her music. “There's a point where you get tired of what you're doing, you recognize your tricks, you despair of them,” he said in a press release. He's handed the reins over to super-producer Mike Elizondo, the guy who, depending on who you ask, took “In Da Club” to greatness or won Excellent machine under that. (Also, about 10 years ago, he played bass in Crow's band.) Here his pop sensibilities come in handy, pushing the songs to radio-friendly completions without getting in the way of Crow's characteristics. There are still plenty of funky guitar hooks and lively percussion, even if Crow's voice is occasionally overproduced.
When you remember that most of DevelopmentHis songs were intended as stand-alone singles, they're starting to sound like Sheryl Crow playbook archetypes. Want the rocking blues-rock number for a Chevy Silverado commercial? Check out Do It Again. What about the rhythmic mix of acoustic guitar, bass and handclaps that will work for both a bonfire singalong and a festival encore? Love Life is your type. Crow is, to her credit, tight-lipped about her SoCal sensibilities. On opener “Alarm Clock,” she creates an elaborate dream sequence, reveling in the way one might imagine an average day in the life of Sheryl Crow: blowing off work, flirting with Chalamet-like Hollywood bartenders, traveling to Malibu. . It's fun and bubbly and has the best surfboard lyric since “Drunk in Love.”
Crow's songs have long described self-proclaimed gurus with a raised eyebrow, but three decades into her career, she seems more comfortable dishing out the wisdom. Now, obviously, it's rubbish, but the soul-searching is digestible, on the level of a micro-dose rather than an ego-death. One too many of these mobilizations are dragging Development in monotone – “You Can't Change the Weather” and “Waiting in the Wings” might as well be the same song – and her attempt at broad social commentary, on “Where?”, doesn't fare much better. And then there's the totally out of place cover of Peter Gabriel's 'Digging in the Dirt', definitely one Threads cast-off, which inexplicably appears in the deluxe version.
