Sheryl Crow : Pick You Up

You’ve come a long way, baby.

If I ran into Sheryl Crow while shopping for groceries at Aldi that’s what I’d say to her. Or, maybe you’ve come a long way, ma’am. From her early days as a backup singer for Michael Jackson, to the blockbuster success of her debut solo record Tuesday Night Music Club, to the highly loved Lilith Fair tour, to the breakout hit “Soak up the Sun”, Crow has proven to be a solid singer/songwriter in her own right. She has earned her place among the greats, and has played with and is admired by many of those that influenced her.

Sheryl Crow has remained active for 30+ years, delivering big hit records(Sheryl Crow, The Globe Sessions, C’mon C’mon), as well as under the radar fare(Wildflower, Feels like Home, Threads) to varying reviews and accolades. Her latest is the blink and you’ll miss it Pick You Up. Clocking in at 25 minutes and seven tracks, Pick You Up sees Crow solidly in the middle of the road. Third gear singer/songwriter tracks that jangle and twang just enough to sound like Tom Petty soundalikes, with eloquent vocal harmonies and tight production. It’s not essential, but quite enjoyable.

“Freight Train” sets the tone as acoustic strums and steel guitar surround Crow’s sleight vocals. There’s just enough atmospherics to keep the song interesting. “Perfect” brings the Petty vibes. Great guitar turns and a classic rock vibe, Sheryl Crow gives us one of her best songs in years. I’m reminded of Wildflowers-era Tom here. The Gainesville native would definitely approve. “Pick You Up” is a decent country-ish track with stacked vocal harmonies that someone like Brandie Carlile could really make her own.

Sheryl Crow proves here that she’s not done doing what she loves. Not sure if there was pressure to put these songs out quickly, or she just felt like 25 minutes of new music was good enough for rock and roll, but these tracks would have benefited for a couple more songs tacked on to maybe get us over the 30-minute mark. “Flat Earth” has a nice Wilco-ish quality to it, while “I’ve Got Your Number” has a playfulness to it, ala “A Change Will Do You Good”. “Freedom Bus” featuring Jesse Welles has a great message with some George Harrison-esque slide guitar, but kind of falls flat. It ends the record with the listener wanting.

Despite the short runtime, Sheryl Crow succeeds in making a short-but-sweet shot of twangy rock and roll. Pick You Up will do just that.