Legendary country and rock artist Sheryl Crow has returned with her 12th studio album, “Evolution.” Here, she displays yet another album of country rock ballads. However, there aren’t too many songs here that are too memorable in her overall discography.
The album starts with one of its best songs, although its subject matter is a bit offbeat; the song is called “Alarm Clock.” It is a very relatable song to everyone who hates living their life. The lyrics talk about living a life of luxury, but this life only exists in dreams. Crow is brought back to reality when her alarm clock wakes her up. This is a song that is even kind of humorous in its setup and even sappy-sounding chorus: “That is why I hate my alarm clock.” My issue with this song is that it is written by a millionaire celebrity with a successful career that spans almost three decades. This song may have been relatable to Crow at one point in her life, many years before her fame and success, but it is not relevant to her image now. Because of this, the song feels like it is pandering to her audience instead of being for them. In spite of that, it is an incredible song and a perfect start to the album.
A song that feels more relatable to Crow’s life (also to any of her audience’s life) is the track “Love Life.” It is a ballad-like song that talks about Crow reminiscing on her childhood friend, who had kids at a bad financial time in her life and she has had to go from job to job. Upon meeting with this old friend after all these years, Crow asks her how she has been able to live life as best as she can. Her friend tells her that the current moment won’t be forever, and so she looks forward to the future for its changes. It is a beautiful message for the album with such a natural flow. One downfall is that the ending to the song goes on for a bit too long with repetitive “na na”s. However, the flow of the “na na”s is groovy and the transition into it is immaculate.
The title track, “Evolution,” is the best song on the album and it is the most unique song concept the album offers. It begins with Crow hearing a song on the radio that sounds like something that she wrote; however, she could tell there is no soul and passion put into the project. She then worries about how her children will grow up in an unknown future. The main drive behind the song is how will the human race evolve as technology continues to wrap itself around us, whether it’s AI-generated music or what technology holds in store. Crow believes the solution to this problem will lie somewhere in the heart, saying that a certain kind of love will lead to an escape. I appreciate her bold take on this subject matter, since it is a topic which needs to be discussed, especially by long-time players in the music industry.
As for the song itself, the verses build into the astounding choruses. Finally, it is the most unique and incredible sounding part of this album: a guitar solo played by Tom Morello, who has used genius guitar tactics to make his fretboard sound like an electric synthesizer. It is something one wouldn’t expect to hear from Sheryl Crow, especially on a Sheryl Crow song discussing the discomforts of the direction our modern society is heading. The guitar solo had a whiny, mechanical aura to it, as if stating that technology has already overtaken our lives.
The final song, “Waiting in the Wings,” is a simple country rock ballad that closes the album very nicely. My greatest takeaway from it is its subject matter and how it’s written. The song has an uplifting message about being the one voice to stand behind a struggling person. This person has the world against them and it continues to bring them down. Crow says that her support is “ten-thousand voices,” the round of applause in the silence, and that she will be waiting in the wings while her friend is onstage. What makes this song work so well is the solid writing. It paints a beautiful picture with precise metaphors as to how much she supports and cares for this friend.
This album is a nice listen and is another set of Sheryl Crow songs to vibe to. However, besides “Evolution,” “Alarm Clock” and “Love Life,” there aren’t too many stand out tracks. For instance, “Do It Again,” doesn’t switch up at the chorus, but just gets a little louder. “Broken Record” is a bit too cliche with its writing about feeling dogged, or “like a broken record,” as the song goes. “Don’t Walk Away” is a piano ballad that feels too simplistic and dull-sounding in its execution. Overall, this album proves that Crow, being in the later stages of her life, has still got it, but with few changes to her sound and style.
