Sheryl Crow – Threads (Album Review)

Nine-time Grammy Award-winner Sheryl Crow is set to return with her brand new album, Threads, on Friday, August 30th via The Valory Music Co.

A singer and songwriter with over thirty years in the music industry, which includes having her songs recorded by major artists such as Celine Dion and Tina Turner, Crow would go on to blaze a path as one of the most successful solo artists since the early ’90s.  Since then selling over 50 million albums of her own, the truly distinctive quality of Crow’s style is the utilization of Pop, Rock, Country, Jazz, and Blues in her music. That said, for her eleventh overall studio album, Crow opts to mix it up again with a Country and Americana sound that twists nicely with Pop and Rock elements. 

Complete with seventeen songs, Threads features a massive list of artists from all genres and generations that everyone knows and loves. In fact, the collaboration list is so extremely mixed and impressive, you will wonder how they fit all that talent into one recording. Names that range from the late great Johnny Cash on 1996’s “Redemption Day,” to Sting, Eric Clapton, and Brandi Carlile on George Harrison’s classic “Beware of Darkness,” Willie Nelson for “Lonely Alone,” Keith Richards on the Rolling Stone’s “The Worst,” as well as Public Enemy’s Chuck D for “Story of Everything,” there is a lot going on in between the fabric of Threads.

Not limited to the names dropped, this monster album also includes carefully selected cover songs that include the aforementioned George Harrison cut “Beware of Darkness,” Bob Dylan’s “Everything Is Broken,” Rolling Stones “The Worst,” along with Kris Kristofferson’s “Border Lord.” Wonderfully executed, it is easy to see each track selected means a great deal to Crow, and in many ways, defines who she is as a musician.  

Integrating all of this with a slew of original tunes, each carries heavy emotions, depth, and intrigue. This is evident with the beautiful bluesy “Live Wire,” featuring Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples; the groovy Pop radio-ready “Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You,” featuring St. Vincent; and the Country-Blues hybrid “Still the Good Old Days” with none other than the Eagles’ Joe Walsh. With each song unique to the other stylistically, the lyrics are also worth listening closely to because each tells a story everyone is able to relate with. In fact, this combined with simple arrangements keeps the music pure and honest… which is good because no fancy effects are necessary to cover up the true talent of each musician involved. 

All in all, Sheryl Crow leads you through all the ups and downs life has to offer. Whether it is with a melancholic tune such as “Lonely Alone” where sadness cuts deep, or the very human-vibed “Flying Blind” with James Taylor, these tunes are going to touch your heart. Mostly calm and mellow, Threads will get your mind wandering to far-off places away from whatever troubles may ail you. Truly a timeless collection of songs that never grows old, Cryptic Rock gives it 5 out of 5 stars.