 | Sheryl CrowA Retrospective: 1992-2024 |
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Born: Sheryl Suzanne Crow
Album Sales (in millions): 16.0 US, 29.5 world
Overview:Singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow became one of the most popular mainstream rock artists in the 1990s with her “fresh, updated spin on classic roots rock” SH with “sunny, good-time rockers and world-weary ballads.” SH “Her albums were loose and eclectic on the surface, yet were generally tied together by polished, professional songcraft.” SH “Her production not only kept pace with contemporary trends, but sometimes even pushed the envelope of what sounds could be heard on a classicist rock album, especially on her self-titled sophomore effort. All of this made Crow one of the most dependable stars of the decade.” SHEarly Years (1962-1992)She was the third of four children and “her parents had both performed in swing orchestras, her father on trumpet and her mother as a singer; her mother was also a piano teacher, and ensured that all her daughters learned the instrument starting in grade school. Crow wrote her first song at age 13, and majored in music at the University of Missouri, where she also played keyboards in a cover band called Cashmere. After graduating, she spent a couple of years in St. Louis working as a music teacher for autistic children. She sang with another cover band, P.M., by night, and also recorded local advertising jingles on the side.” SH“In 1986, Crow packed up and moved to Los Angeles to try her luck in the music business. She was able to land some more jingle-singing assignments, and got her first big break when she successfully auditioned to be a backup singer on Michael Jackson’s international Bad tour. In concert, she often sang the female duet part on ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,’ and was inaccurately rumored by the tabloids to have been Jackson’s lover. After spending two years on the road with Jackson, Crow resumed her search for a record deal, but found that record companies were only interested in making her a dance-pop singer, which was not at all to her taste.” SH “Crow also sang in the short-lived Steven Bochco drama, Cop Rock, in 1990. The following year, she performed Hundreds of Tears, which was included in the Point Break soundtrack.” WK “She revived her career as a session vocalist…and performed with the likes of Sting, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, Joe Cocker, Sinead O’Connor, and Don Henley, the latter of whom she toured with behind The End of the Innocence. She also developed her songwriting skills enough to have her compositions recorded by the likes of Wynonna Judd, Celine Dion, and Eric Clapton.” SH Read more under the snapshots for individual albums. Links:
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Awards:
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Studio Albums:
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Compilations:
Sheryl Crow’s Top 50 SongsThese are the top Sheryl Crow songs as ranked by the DMDB. The codes beside the songs indicate which of the above albums the songs appear on. In addition, you can scroll farther down the page to see a snapshot of the individual albums with the singles from each indicated. The songs are again followed by the codes, but also for those songs that charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.DMDB Top 1%:
1. All I Wanna Do (1993) DMDB Top 5%:
2. Soak Up the Sun (with Liz Phair, 2002) DMDB Top 10%:
8. A Change Would Do You Good (1996)
11. The First Cut Is the Deepest (2003) DMDB Top 20%:
13. Always on Your Side (with Sting, 2006)
21. Run Baby Run (1993)
31. Safe and Sound (2001)
41. Everything Is Broke (with Jason Isbell, 2019) |
Sheryl Crow (Unreleased Album)Sheryl Crow |
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Planned Release: September 22, 1992 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock Rating:  1.934 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)
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About the Album: After building a resume as a session singer, Sheryl Crow connected with producer Hugh Padgham, who got her signed to A&M. The resulting album was intended for release on September 22, 1992. However, “Padgham’s pop leanings resulted in a slick, ballad-laden record that didn’t reflect the sound Crow wanted.” SH The label shelved the album. A different version of “Hundreds of Tears” appeared on the Point Break soundtrack. Read more about the album here. |
Tuesday Night Music ClubSheryl Crow |
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Released: August 3, 1993 Peak: 3 US, 8 UK, 5 CN, 12 AU, 13 DF Sales (in millions): 7.6 US, 0.5 UK, 12.9 world (includes US + UK) Genre: rock Rating:  4.043 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
* added to reissue About the Album: After her failed effort at an album in 1992, Sheryl Crow found herself part of a loose collective of musicians, thanks to her boyfriend Kevin Gilbert. The group, dubbed the Tuesday Night Music Club, consisted of Bill Bottrell, David Baerwald, David Ricketts [the latter two formerly of David & David], Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz. They gathered weekly at Bottrell’s recording studio in Pasadena to “to drink, jam, and work out material. In this informal, collaborative setting, Crow was able to get her creative juices flowing again, and the group agreed to make its newest member – the only one with a recording contract – the focal point.” SH This resulted in Crow’s album named after the group. Lead single Run Baby Run failed to make much impact and Leaving Las Vegas reached the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to it sharing a title with the film of the same name. However, the release of All I Wanna Do changed everything. It went to #2 and “Tuesday Night Music Club started flying out of stores.” SH She ended up with Grammy wins for Best New Artist, Best Female Rock Vocal, and Record of the Year (the latter two for “All I Wanna Do”) and the album became a blockbuster. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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Sheryl CrowSheryl Crow |
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Released: September 24, 1996 Peak: 6 US, 5 UK, 12 CN, 14 AU, 14 DF Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.9 UK, 5.0 world (includes US + UK) Genre: rock Rating: 4.035 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: Crow was determined to prove her legitimacy as an artist on her second outing, which won a Grammy for Best Rock Album and was called her best album by Slant magazine. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
The Globe SessionsSheryl Crow |
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Released: September 28, 1998 Peak: 5 US, 2 UK, 3 CN, 52 AU, 14 DF Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.3 UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK) Genre: rock Rating: 3.770 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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* added to later pressings
About the Album: After her first two albums, Sheryl Crow was tapped to sing the title song for the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. The next year, she was back with The Globe Sessions, “a more straightforward, traditionalist rock record than Sheryl Crow.” SH It “didn’t dominate the airwaves in quite the same fashion, but it did become her third straight platinum-selling, Top Ten LP, and it won her another Grammy for Best Rock Album.” SH “During this period, she discussed in interviews having gone through a deep depression, and there was speculation about a brief affair with Eric Clapton. The debut single from this album, My Favorite Mistake, was rumored to be about him, although Crow claims otherwise about a philandering ex-boyfriend.” WK She won another Grammy for Best Rock Vocal for There Goes the Neighborhood. Later pressings of the album included Crow’s cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” first featured on the Big Daddy soundtrack. |
Live from Central ParkSheryl Crow |
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Recorded: September 14, 1999 Released: December 7, 1999 Peak: 107 US, 143 UK, -- CN, 167 AU Sales (in millions): 0.49 US Genre: rock Rating:  3.127 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)
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* tracks not previously featured on studio albums About the Album: Sheryl Crow’s first live album came out of a free concert she performed at Central Park in New York. It featured guest artists Eric Clapton, the Dixie Chicks, Chrissie Hynde, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, and Keith Richards. Unfortunately, the album was a commercial disappointment coming nowhere close to the multi-platinum, top-ten status of her previous three albums. |
C’mon, C’monSheryl Crow |
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Released: April 16, 2002 Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 2 CN, 40 AU, 13 DF Sales (in millions): 2.1 US, 0.1 UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK) Genre: rock Rating:  3.317 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: Crow was derailed by a case of writer’s block after 1998’s The Globe Sessions, taking more than three years before producing the follow-up, C’mon, C’mon. Before that, she produced a few tracks on Stevie Nicks’ 2001 album, Trouble in Shangri-La, and recorded Picture, a duet with Kid Rock featured on his Cocky album. It became the second-biggest hit of her career, only behind All I Wanna Do, peaking at #4. C’mon, C’mon became Crow’s fourth top-ten, multi-platinum studio album. “The lead single, Soak up the Sun, was a Top 20 hit and another ubiquitous radio smash.” SH She took home yet another Grammy for Female Rock Vocal Performance for Steve McQueen, the album’s second single. The album also featured “Safe and Sound,” which was introduced 9/21/2001 when Sheryl Crow played it for the televised 9/11 benefit America: A Tribute to Heroes. |
Very Best ofSheryl Crow |
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Covers: 1993-2003 Released: November 4, 2003 Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 2 CN, 89 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.6 UK, 5.5 world (includes US + UK) Genre: rock Rating: 4.154 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)
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* new recordings About the Album: After Crow’s 2002 C’mon, C’mon album, she contributed to various projects, including soundtracks for Bridget Jones’ Diary and I Am Sam. In 2003, she released a compilation highlighting her first decade. The collection included new songs Light in Your Eyes, Let’s Get Free, and a cover of the Cat Stevens’ song The First Cut Is the Deepest. The album marked the first appearance on a Crow album of Picture, her 2001 duet with Kid Rock, and a new version of C’mon, C’mon featuring the Corrs. |
WildflowerSheryl Crow |
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Released: September 27, 2005 Peak: 2 US, 25 UK, 11 CN, 98 AU, 12 DF Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Genre: rock Rating: 2.980 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: In 2004, Crow worked on the Alfie soundtrack, dueting with Mick Jagger on Old Habits Die Hard. In September 2005, she got engaged to cyclist Lance Armstrong, whom she started dating in 2003, but they split in February 2006. She also released Wildflower, her fifth studio album. It was another top-ten, multi-platinum affair. Lead single Good Is Good failed to reach the top 40 but a re-recorded version of Always on Your Side with Sting was a success. |
Hits and RaritiesSheryl Crow |
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Covers: 1993-2006 Released: November 12, 2007 Peak: -- US, 122 UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock Rating: 4.075 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)
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Tracks, Disc 1:
Tracks, Disc 2:
* songs not previously featured on a Sheryl Crow album
About the Album: This compilation features “Keep on Growing” from the 1995 Boys on the Side soundtrack, “Try Not to Remember,” which was first released on the Home of the Brave soundtrack in 2006, and “Tomorrow Never Dies” the song from the 1997 James Bond movie of the same name. |
DetoursSheryl Crow |
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Released: February 5, 2008 Peak: 2 US, 20 UK, 2 CN, 111 AU, 13 DF Sales (in millions): 0.41 US, -- UK, 0.72 world (includes US + UK) Genre: rock Rating: 3.709 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: In 2006, Crow contributed Real Gone to the soundtrack of the Disney/Pixar animated film Cars. The next year, she adopted a son who she named Wyatt Steven Crow. In 2008, Crow was back with Detours, her sixth studio album. It was her fifth consecutive album to peak at #2 but failed to reach the multi-platinum status all her other studio efforts had achieved. Crow said, “The songs are very inspired by the last three years of events in my life,” WK which included a battle with breast cancer in 2006 and her split with Lance Armstrong. |
Home for ChristmasSheryl Crow |
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Released: September 30, 2008 Peak: 164 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU, 11 DF Sales (in millions): 0.04 US Genre: rock/Christmas Rating: 3.202 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: Sheryl Crow’s sole Christmas album was first released to Hallmark stores on September 30, 2008. WK It features mostly traditional and familiar seasonal favorites alongside originals “There Is a Star That Shines Tonight,” Hello My Friend, Hello,” and “Long Road Home.” “Blue Christmas” first appeared on 1997’s various artists’ compilation A Very Special Christmas Vol. 3. |
100 Miles from MemphisSheryl Crow |
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Released: July 20, 2010 Peak: 3 US, 34 UK, 2 CN, 95 AU, 12 DF Sales (in millions): 0.22 US Genre: rock Rating: 3.424 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: The title of 100 Miles from Memphis is a reference to Crow’s hometown of Kennett, Missouri. Like her previous studio album, Detours, it failed to produce any chart hits on the Billboard Hot 100 but she picked up three more hits on the adult alternative chart. The album recalls Dusty in Memphis, the 1969 “blue-eyed soul classic” STE from Dusty Springfield while also showing the influence of the kind of soul that grew out of the Memphis-based Stax label which launched the careers of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and others. Crow “ditches her country and pop-rock past in favor of a vintage Memphis-styled, soul-inspired record.” WK “Sometimes the musical references – Al Green, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder – are made apparent, but the album’s…songs are characterized more by capturing a classic spirit than by imitating any specific style.” AZ The sound is “recognizably Southern yet has a distinctly sunny vibe.” STE There’s an ease to this record that’s not often heard on Sheryl Crow’s albums and its light touch is thoroughly appealing.” STE Billboard magazine said, “100 Miles is a path Crow was certainly wise to tread.” WK It “marks a long-awaited return…to the sounds that first drew her to making music.” AZ “Crow’s excitement is noticed throughout the record.” WK “Cut mostly live with a regular crew of musicians,” AZ the album was produced by Doyle Bramhall II, who draws kudos in reviews from both the BBC and Mojo magazine, and Justin Stanley, who had worked with Amy Winehouse. They “nimbly fold rock and reggae into blue-eyed soul, crafting a nostalgic rootsfest suffused with breezy simplicity and sheer joy.” EG “Although an extraordinaire on such instruments as bass, piano and acoustic guitar, Crow concentrates on singing throughout the album, which features several covers.” WK “Citizen Cope appears on a hazy, impassioned” AZ and “anguished” EG duet of his Sideways, a song Crow said she had long wanted to record. AZ Mojo calls that song and Stop two of Crow’s most “vulnerable and classy performances.” WK The latter is a “spare, dramatic ballad” AZ and “the one song on the album for which Crow has sole writing credit.” AZ It “is a powerful vocal showcase that struggles with some hard truths.” AZ “A few judiciously selected guests round out the proceedings.” EG “Keith Richards’ swagger…noticed on the reggae-fied Eye to Eye.” WK “Justin Timberlake brings a contemporary feel on an ambling, sensual” EG and “sleek reworking” STE of Terence Trent D’Arby’s top-10 hit Sign Your Name. Crow also covers the Jackson 5’s #1 classic I Want You Back. “Her natural vocal range sounds uncannily like Michael Jackson’s.” AZ She said, “Michael’s death brought a lot of stuff back for me, so it was nice that we could include this.” AZ Not only did Crow first reach the spotlight as a backup singer for Jackson, but this was the first single she ever bought. AZ Review Sources:
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IconSheryl Crow |
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Covers: 1993-2005 Released: January 4, 2011 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock Rating: 3.783 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)
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About the Album: This is an unnecessary compilation considering that 10 of the 12 cuts were already gathered together on Very Best of in 2003. That leaves only “Can’t Cry Anymore,” which should have been on that collection, and “Always on Your Side” from 2005’s Wildflower. With his compilation released in 2011, there were two other studio albums which were completely ignored. |
Feels Like HomeSheryl Crow |
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Released: September 10, 2013 Peak: 7 US, 16 UK, 16 CN, 134 AU Sales (in millions): 0.07 US Genre: rock Rating:  2.658 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)
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About the Album: This was a more country-flavored outing for Sheryl Crow, as emphasized by guest artists like Zac Brown, Vince Gill, and Ashley Moore. She even reached the country charts with lead single Easy. That was the only song to chart, but Crow did find herself in familiar territory by yet again reaching the top-ten on the album chart. |
Be MyselfSheryl Crow |
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Released: April 21, 2017 Peak: 22 US, 47 UK, 59 CN, 97 AU, 11 DF Sales (in millions): 0.02 US Genre: rock Rating: 3.000 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: For Sheryl Crow’s previous album, Feels Like Home, she leaned heavily into country. Here she returns to the adult alternative sound that she cultivated in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Now that she was a “legacy” artist, however, the album didn’t garner much attention beyond her loyal fan base, failing to chart any songs. |
ThreadsSheryl Crow |
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Released: August 30, 2019 Peak: 30 US, 2 CW, 10 UK, 31 CN, 73 AU, 13 DF Sales (in millions): 0.49 US Genre: rock Rating: 3.126 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: At the time of Threads’ release, Sheryl Crow made a lot of noise about this being her last studio album. To her credit, she intended to go out with a bang, turning the album into a massive collaborative project where she worked with legends, friends, and newer artists including Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Chuck D, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Jason Isbell, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Mavis Staples, Chris Stapleton, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, and Neil Young. Most of the songs were originals, but she also included covers of Everything Is Broken (Bob Dylan), The Worst (The Rolling Stones), Beware of Darkness (Eric Clapton), and others. The highlight is Redemption Day, which Crow originally wrote and released on her 1996 self-titled sophomore effort. Johnny Cash recorded a cover of it in 2003 that was released posthumously on his 2010 album American VI: Ain’t No Grave. The version here represents some studio wizardry which spliced his version together with Crow to create a powerful duet that outshines either of their solo versions. Thankfully her proclamation that this would be her last album proved to be untrue. |
Sheryl: Music from the Feature DocumentarySheryl Crow |
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Covers: 1993-2022 Released: May 5, 2022 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock Rating: 4.023 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)
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* songs which hadn’t appeared on a previous Sheryl Crow album About the Album: In Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s Pitchfork review, he quotes Crow from her Sheryl documentary as saying, “There’s a weird thing that happens when you become a ‘legacy artist.’ It’s sort of a sideways compliment. It’s like, ‘OK, you’ve stood the test of time but also you’re old and you just haven’t gone away.’” He explains that she balances “the core of her catalog—the songs that have stood the test the time—with the music she’s made as a legacy artist who no longer visits the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100. Partly a greatest hits collection, partly a testimonial to Crow’s endurance, Sheryl: Music From the Feature Documentary leans heavily into the bookends of her career.” Among the soundtrack’s songs are a live version of “Real Gone,” originally from the Cars soundtrack. It also has new tracks “Forever,” “Still the Same,” and “Live with Me.” |
EvolutionSheryl Crow |
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Released: March 29, 2024 Peak: 90 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock |
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About the Album: Coming soon! |
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 7/20/2010; last updated 12/10/2024. |
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