Sheryl Crow - Be Myself

The Guardian 60

(Warner Brothers)

After a short-lived dabble in country music, Be Myself reunites Sheryl Crow with 1990s collaborators Jeff Trott and Tchad Blake and returns to the sassy, carefree, stripped down folk-pop-rock that brought her massive success in that era. However, at 55 and with a cancer scare behind her, Crow has, as she herself says: “Seen more of this life than most have seen and it’s taken it’s toll on me.” The subject matter here is darker than on her early albums, but the songs see her “getting back in the ring” to battle everything from a kiss-and-teller to depression. There’s pithy humour, too, in songs which address Twitter “butts”, selfies, indie bands with fake followers, Trump and ill-fitting high heels. Love Will Save the Day is touching, not trite, and if there isn’t an obvious smash in the mould of All I Wanna Do or If It Makes You Happy, Be Myself certainly punches its weight in sass.