Sheryl Crow - Wildflower

Originally, Sheryl Crow planned to have her follow-up to 2002's Top Ten hit C'mon, C'mon be two simultaneously released albums, announcing their autumn release at the beginning of 2005, but by the time the fall rolled around, the project had been scaled back to a single album: Wildflower. If C'mon, C'mon was a cheerful, bright record ideal for sunny summer days, Wildflower is its opposite, a warm, introspective record that's tailored for the fall. It's not dissimilar to 1998's The Globe Sessions, which felt like a somber hangover to the wonderfully weird party of her eponymous 1996 second album, but where The Globe Sessions had a weary, heartbroken feel, there's a comfortable, lived-in atmosphere and sense of genuine affection on Wildflower. Celebrity press and pre-release hype attributed this love-mad vibe to Crow's romance with cyclist Lance Armstrong -- the couple announced its engagement the same month Wildflower was released -- and there surely must be some sort of correlation between Crow's personal life and work, but anybody looking for an album explicitly about her relationship with Lance (the way that, say, Eric Benet's Hurricane is all about his divorce from Halle Berry) will be disappointed. There are certainly plenty of songs about love here, but Crow's songs are not about specific events (unless they're neo-protest songs like the lively "Live It Up"). They're open-ended, so it's easy to hear the record and never think about Armstrong. As a matter of fact, the subjects of the songs matter less than the feel of the album. It's easy to spin Wildflower a couple of times before the songs start to sink in -- unlike her other records, there's nothing here that immediately grabs your attention, they're all growers -- but the mood of the record is immediately appealing. That sustained warm, burnished, relaxed feel -- at once rootsy and upscale, modest and classy -- is reason enough to return to Wildflower to give the songs a chance to take root, and once they do, the album seems to be one of her most consistent records and one of her best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Abe Laboriel, Jr. Drums Ali Helnwein String Arrangements Allen Sides String Engineer Andy Sharp Assistant Engineer Bob Ludwig Mastering Brandon Duncan Assistant Engineer Brian MacLeod Guitar (Acoustic), Drums Brian Vibberts Assistant Engineer Bruce Kaphan Pedal Steel Carter Smith Photography Catherine Berclaz Design Producer Daniel Chase Drums, Percussion, Casio, Engineer, Programming Dave Way Engineer David Campbell String Arrangements, Strings Dean Baskerville Engineer Drew Vonderhaar Assistant Engineer Eric Danchick Assistant Engineer Errin Familia Assistant Engineer Greg Leisz Guitar (Baritone), Pedal Steel Gustavo Papaleo Cover Photo Jamie Muhoberac Keyboards Jeff Moses Assistant Engineer Jeff Rothschild Drums, Engineer, Mixing, Programming Jeff Trott Keyboards, Producer, Slide Balalaika, Vocals (Background), Audio Production, Slide Guitar, Drum Programming, Wurlitzer, Synthesizer Bass, Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano, Guitar (Electric) Jimmy Hoyson Assistant Engineer Joel Derouin Concert Master John Shanks Guitar (Bass), Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background), Audio Production, Banjo, Producer, Keyboards, Mixing, Guitar (Electric), Bass Keith Schreiner Drum Programming, Synthesizer, Drums Kevin Harp Assistant Engineer Mike Elizondo Guitar (Bass), Bass Pam Wertheimer Production Coordination Psyop Illustrations, Design, Art Direction Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Piano Scooter Weintraub Management Shari Sutcliffe Contractor, Production Coordination Sheryl Crow Bass, Keyboards, Piano, Vocal Harmony, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals (Background), Audio Production, Vocals, Wurlitzer Sheryl Nields Photography, Cover Photo Steve Churchyard String Engineer Trina Shoemaker Engineer