Sheryl Crow

By entering with the lo-fi, politically sharp "God Bless This Mess," Crow recalls the pensive songstress-next-door of her debut. But she's grown more world-aware over the years, taking on not only bad love but also the big bad world ("Shine Over Babylon") and her bout with cancer ("Make It Go Away"). Even the glassy three minutes of "Love Is Free" comes laced with breaking levees and self-medication. You could call this album cynical, but no matter -- it's as strong as anything in her late career.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," John Lennon sang, and
that lyric could stand as the theme of Detours, the powerful new Sheryl Crow album. What
happened in Crow's case — the collapse of her engagement to Lance Armstrong ("Diamond
Ring"), a bout with breast cancer ("Make It Go Away") and a world in meltdown ("Shine Over
Babylon") — is intense but far from a laugh riot. "Now That You're Gone" and "Lov... More >