Wildflower

by Sheryl Crow

Product Description:

Personnel: Sheryl Crow (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); John Shanks (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, background vocals); Jeff Trott (electric guitar, slide guitar, piano, Wurlitzer piano, bass synthesizer, drum programming, background vocals); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar, baritone guitar); Bruce Kaphan (pedal steel guitar); David Campbell (strings); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards); Keith Schreiner (synthesizer, drums); Mike Elizondo (bass guitar); Dan Chase, Jeff Rothschild (drums, programming); Abe Laboriel Jr., Brian MacLeod (drums).

Recording information: Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California; Music Lane, Austin, Texas; Larrabee Studios, Los Angeles, California; Sage & Sound Studio, Hollywood, California; Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, California (2005).

On her fifth studio album, singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow leaves her carefree rock tunes by the side of a winding road, traveling forward with a subdued, introspective set of songs. The result is akin to Beck's SEA CHANGE, a record that largely eschews upbeat pop in favor of quieter, more thoughtful tracks. (In fact, Beck's father, David Campbell, provides string arrangements for almost every song on WILDFLOWER.)

Although there is a notable chamber-pop feel to this 2005 album, with an orchestra present on all but one track, the strings never eclipse Crow's pensive songs, and the focus here remains on her immediately recognizable and strikingly emotive vocals. "I Know Why" opens WILDFLOWER with gentle acoustic-guitar and banjo lines, while the Eastern-tinged "Chances Are" coasts over a foundation of subtle synthesizers and tabla-like drum programming. The disc's most energetic moment, "Live It Up," hews closest to Crow's past hits, but the overall mood of the record is beautifully autumnal, revealing that, even more than a decade into her solo career, she's not afraid to challenge herself or her listeners