SHE'S the ultimate LA rock chick all long hair and hipsters, with a Fender guitar slung across her skinny frame. She could be Linda Ronstadt circa 1974, except that this is Dublin 1996, and Sheryl Crow is giving her Irish fans an authentic taste of country tinged, West Coast rock n roll. And a damn fine dish it is, too.
The Crow road to success began in her native Missouri, when the daughter of a jazz trumpet player upped sticks and headed for the Hollywood Hills, swapping the Bible Belt for Santa Monica Boulevard. She became a session singer and songwriter for hire before hitting paydirt with her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, and scoring a worldwide hit single with All I Wanna Do.
The Olympia Theatre was transformed into a Saturday night music club as Crow led her band through Hard To Make A Stand, laying the groundwork for a solid, organic set. The current single, Every Day Is A Winding Road, meanders a bit before finding its direction, but Leaving Las Vegas moves with a measured, melancholy determination. If It Makes You Happy had the crowd singing along happily, but a real vocal thrill was in store when the lead singer of the support band, Sovory, joined Sheryl for a soulful Run, Baby, Run.
Sweet Rosalyn and Maybe Angels are tough, somewhat scarred tunes from Crow's current, self titled album, but it's the softer tunes from Tuesday Night Music Club, like I Can't Cry Anymore, which strike emotional chords.
The Na Na Song delivers a psychedelic ending. For the encore, Crow takes a back seat behind the keyboards, letting the band show its mettle on Strong Enough and Superstar.
