Sheryl Crow
Feels Like Home

It's been a long time since I wrote about Sheryl Crow on these virtual pages; many weren’t even here when from time to time adoring and pseudo-elegiac reviews of this versatile artist appeared on this homepage, signed by my predecessor-fake-alter ego. Not that the “youngest” have missed much, mind you, I just mean to say that in recent years I’ve somewhat lost track of Sheryl Crow, but never forgotten her. I've always been fascinated by her personal story; from the Missouri Bootheel, a remote and impoverished corner of rural America to fame, achieved after a long apprenticeship and above all fully deserved, with great songs and yes, a fair bit of "gloss" and care for her image; which didn't bother me back then and certainly doesn't bother me now that I’m much, much less of an “innocent soul” than I was then.

And then "100 Miles From Memphis," her penultimate album: I very vaguely remember a lackluster blues-wannabe mishmash, lacking character, without conviction, which estranged me from Sheryl Crow for many years. We randomly reconnected, "Feels Like Home" is dated 2013, but until a few weeks ago I didn’t even know it existed. Eclectic performer from the very beginning, here Sheryl wanted to focus on one of the various styles present in her repertoire: country, which some have always associated her with, partly wrongly. The album was recorded in Nashville (where else?) and is pleasant, simple, and communicative as per the tradition of the genre. Predominantly electric, modern and radio-friendly, without special artifices and sufficiently varied to offer a pleasant and lasting experience over time. A very welcome return then, fully in line with my highest expectations: many nuances, starting from the rustic southern-rock flavor of "Shotgun" to a dreamy and melancholic serenade orchestrated like "Waterproof Mascara", with its perfect neo-vintage feel, and then the lively, sunny sounds and irony-soaked tones of "Crazy Ain't Original" and "We Ought Be Drinkin'. A couple of flirts with classic rock 'n' roll with "Nobody's Business" and "Best Of Times", the latter more incisive and "genuine", then many varied and well-conceived ballads, especially the delicate and semi-caustic "Stay At Home Mother" and "Give It To Me" with its engaging crescendo, but also "Easy" and "Call Me When I'm Lonely", blatantly radio-friendly singles, are impeccable for their genre.

But the thing that satisfied me the most was rediscovering Sheryl Crow's voice, which I find hard to describe without slipping into mushiness: let’s just say it still has a completely unique charm to me, there's no use telling me things like "it's commercial, sycophantic, overrated, so-and-so do stuff of different caliber"; I couldn’t care less, to me Sheryl is Sheryl, and that’s it. The choice to focus on country is also excellent, "Feels Like Home" is an album with a very “warm evenings and cold beer” mood, so for this period it's just perfect, and then my pseudo-redneck side quite likes it. Am I letting it take over too much? Maybe. Should I be worried? Naah... In any case, congratulations to Sheryl, and at this point I’ll have to dust off all her repertoire from 1993-2008. Will it do me good? I really think so.