Sheryl Crow - Globe Sessions [SACD/Bonus Track]

Since her dense, varied, post-modernist eponymous second album illustrated that Sheryl Crow was no one-album wonder, she wasn't left with as much to prove the third time around. Having created an original variation on roots rock with Sheryl Crow, she was left with the dilemma of how to remain loyal to that sound without repeating herself on her third album, The Globe Sessions. To her credit, she never plays lazy, not when she's turning out Stones-y rockers ("There Goes the Neighborhood") or when she's covering Dylan (the remarkable "Mississippi," an outtake from Time Out of Mind). However, she has decided to abandon the layered, yard-sale production and pop-culture fixations that made Sheryl Crow a defining album of the mid-'90s. The Globe Sessions, instead, is the work of a craftsman, one who knows how to balance introspective songs with pop/rockers, one who knows how to exploit their signature sound while becoming slightly more eclectic. In that sense, the album is a lot like a latter-day album from her idols, the Stones -- it finds pleasures within the craft and the signature sound themselves. That means that there are no surprises (apart from the synthesized handclaps, of course) -- the Celtic homage "Riverwide" may be new, but it's not unexpected, much like how the whiplash transition in "Am I Getting Through" isn't entirely out of the blue -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing, since The Globe Sessions has a strong set of songs. Since it lacks the varied sonics, humor, and flat-out weirdness of Sheryl Crow, it's never quite as compelling a listen as its predecessor, yet it is a strong record, again confirming Crow's position as one of the best roots-rockers of the '90s. [This version of the album includes bonus material.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andy Wallace Mixing Avril Brown Violin Benmont Tench Organ, Piano, Organ (Hammond), Keyboards, Chamberlin Bob Ludwig Mastering Bobby Keys Soloist, Sax (Alto), Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Sax (Baritone) Brandt Scott Assistant Engineer, Production Coordination Chris Hudson Production Coordination Dan McCarroll Drums Dan Rothchild Bass, Double Bass David Schiffman Engineer, Mixing David Tickle Mixing, Mastering Garo Yellin Cello Gregg Williams Tambourine, Programming, Percussion, Drums Howard Willing Mixing Assistant, Assistant Engineer Jane Scarpantoni Cello Jeff Trott Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Tremolo), Slide Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Electric), Bass, Moog Synthesizer Jeri Heiden Design, Art Direction Jim Bogios Drums Jimmie Haskell String Conductor, String Arrangements Kathy Crow Vocals, Guest Appearance Kent Smith Trumpet Laura Seaton Violin Lisa Germano Violin, Soloist, Autoharp Lorenza Ponce Violin Mark Feldman Violin Mary Rowell Violin Mary Wooten Cello Matthew Pierce Violin Maura Giannini Violin Michael Davis Trombone Michelle Kinney Cello Mitchell Froom Orchestra, Clavinet Pam Wertheimer Production Coordination Peter Lindbergh Photography Richard Dodd Mixing Rick Rubin Mixing, Audio Production, Producer Sheryl Crow Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Harmonica, National Steel Guitar, Audio Production, Bass, Organ (Hammond), Vocals, Wurlitzer, Producer, Percussion, Guitar (12 String Electric), Tambourine, Guitar, Clavinet, Guitar (Electric), Hammond B3, Keyboards Steve Sisco Mixing Assistant Tchad Blake Mixing, Photography Tim Smith Guitar (Acoustic), Bass Todd Wolfe Soloist, Guitar (Electric) Trina Shoemaker Engineer, Audio Engineer, Drum Loop Val McCallum Guitar, Guitar (Electric) Wendy Melvoin Bass, Guitar