By Kenzie Love
Reviewing Wildflower, Sheryl Crow’s latest release, is difficult to do without making reference to 1998’s The Globe Sessions. A sublime mix of music alternately rootsy and radio-friendly, Sessions would have been a deserving Grammy winner of Album of the Year, a category it was nominated for. Wildflower’s best songs recall the highlights of this defining album but its worst points push out in another direction entirely.
Crow has cited Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash as musicians she drew inspiration from, and their influence was evident on The Globe Sessions. But on Wildflower she’s taken a page from Lee Ann Womack, constructing a carpe diem song around weak nature-based metaphors on “Rolling Thunder.” Conversely, the mournful “Always on Your Side” is too plaintive. Crow’s past songs have made it clear she’s more than willing to show moping men the door and it’s a better fit for her than this.
Fortunately, Wildflower contains a few barn burners of this ilk–the up-tempo “Live It Up” is the best of the bunch–but it’s not enough to eclipse Crow’s past triumphs.