Sheryl Crow Shines on "Tuesday Night..."

It seems that since Sheryl Crow made her musical debut with 1993's Tuesday Night Music Club, her name has become synonymous with good music. With the help of her early success, she has won a number of Grammy Awards, a large fan base, and critical acclaim. What more could an artist possible want?

Crow didn't come by her success easily. In fact, her debut release didn't come about with ease. She was already a former school teacher and had spent years as a backup singer to acts like Michael Jackson and Don Henley before she hit it big with Tuesday Night Music Club. After her attempt at making an album went belly up, Crow participated in jam sessions with producer Bill Bottrell and songwriter David Baerwald. These sessions happened-ironically-every Tuesday night.

The result of these loose sessions was Tuesday Night Music Club and the songs that would first help to make her famous. Crow sounded mature and relaxed with her loose rock style. But her voice and her spirit helped to infuse a contemporary sound into her wholly roots rock style. It took months before fans and radio picked up on Crow after the album was released. Once listeners tuned in to Crow's songs it seemed as though they were hooked.

Tuesday Night Music Club gave the world more than just one or two amazing tracks. The strength of this album was in it's consistency from the first track through the last. Rather than piling all the pre-planned hits in the beginning of the album, the eleven songs here are all equally meritorious...but for many different reasons.

Of course All I Wanna Do boasts wide appeal thanks to the infectious pop/rock melody and simple lyrics. But, the song is thankfully much more special than the wide majority of sound-alike pop/rock songs. Crow has a lovely voice and a knack for the guitar. These two elements mesh perfectly in All I Wanna Do in addition to other examples like Leaving Las Vegas...another of Crow's most widely appealing tracks.

Strong Enough also strikes me as one of the best tracks on this album. It's simple and mellow, yet pensive and melancholic. The main focus of this track is quite obviously Crow's dusty vocals. She has a distinctive vocal prowess that lends itself very well to rock/pop music in general.

Upbeat and sparking with life, Can't Cry Anymore is yet another lovely song. I adore the melody, Crow's vocals, the subdued percussion, and the song's attitude as a whole. The track gives listeners the message that life goes on regardless of problems. So what if you don't have any money, if your brother is a heroin addict, or if things aren't going your way. You still have to continue living. Life isn't a big personal pity party.

The low, folky roots of No One Said It Would Be Easy show another side of Crow. I suppose this song is in some way the standard ballad with the slow tempo and thoughtful lyrics. I'm not a fan generally of songs this slow or this 'country,' but something about Crow's approach to songwriting makes it okay.

Each of these songs is lovely. It's easy to listen to the album from track one, Run, Baby, Run through track eleven, I Shall Believe. This is a complete album and an amazing achievement for a debut artist. In fact, had a more established musician assembled this album it would have been an equally impressive attempt. Sheryl Crow has since proven herself worthy of continued attention. She's had a number of other hit singles and two subsequent solo albums. The one thing I do have a complaint about is that she sometimes seems to take herself too seriously. She thinks she's immune to criticism. But, I'm going to criticize her for a serious misstep in the form of the single Sweet Child O' Mine. That was a horrible, rotten remake.

But Tuesday Night Music Club is certainly a masterpiece. It deserves 5/5 stars. I also recommend the album to fans of female singer-songwriters, rock/pop listeners, folk-rock fans, and even country music listeners.

Track Listing:
1.Run, Baby, Run
2.Leaving Las Vegas
3.Strong Enough
4.Can't Cry Anymore
5.Solidify
6.The Na-Na Song
7.No One Said It Would Be Easy
8.What I Can Do for You
9.All I Wanna Do
10.We Do What We Can
11.I Shall Believe