Sheryl Crow: Feels Like Home

Covers carry clues. On the front, Sheryl Crow is a model of the Southern Belle, a comely smile draped in a figure-hugging lace dress set against a rural background. Turn to back and she is rock-chick incarnate, ripped jeans, sullen body shape cradling a guitar case.Both images are apt – on Feels Like Home she embraces country but doesn't quite leave her rockist ways behind. Now 51, Crow is shrewdly moving the emphasis from the country soul of her 2010 100 Miles from Memphis to more Nashville-compliant sounds and attitudes. Though she's a class act, with an instinctive feel for strong pop hooks and telling detail, the songs feel somewhat contrived. That said, Crow's voice is impressive on ballad and rocker alike, as on Give It to Me and the opener, Shotgun. sherylcrow.com
Download: Best of Times, Shotgun