Sheryl Crow finds her way with 'Detours'

Glenn Gamboa | DROPS

February 5, 2008

Sheryl Crow's new album "Detours" hits music stores on Feb. 5, 2008.

Sheryl Crow seemed destined to meander down one of those winding roads she claims that every day is, adrift into adult contemporary la-la land, where every song is kinda nice and sorta bland.

Following three solid albums, Crow's introspection on 2005's underwhelming "Wildflower" felt just as forced as the pretend perkiness of 2002's "C'mon, C'mon" and its pop-pandering "Soak Up the Sun" single. Her sure-footed mix of rock, country, blues and pop seemed to get lost in some sort of ill-advised chase.

Well, Crow is lost no more. She has found her way with "Detours" (Interscope), a remarkable album that is as ambitious stylistically as it is lyrically focused.

Crow certainly has plenty of issues to work through - from her public breakup with Lance Armstrong, a battle with breast cancer and the adoption of her son, Wyatt, to her outspoken views on the environment and the war in Iraq, as well as her dinner spat with Karl Rove. And with the help of producer Bill Bottrell, who helmed her breakthrough "Tuesday Night Music Club," she attacks them with an impressive arsenal of styles and vocal approaches.

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"God Bless This Mess" is her twist on a Dylanesque folk song, taking on the Bush administration and showing her support for the troops. "Now That You're Gone" is a post-breakup song that glides by like a sweet slice of Bonnie Raitt R&B, while the gorgeous, spare "Diamond Ring" exquisitely draws out the discomfort that comes with busted engagements.

In "Gasoline," Crow takes the detailed, party vibe of "All I Wanna Do" and turns it into a futuristic indictment of government energy policies. Even the current single, the bouncy, Cajun-tinged "Love Is Free," mixes the carefree with warnings about crooked politicians.

It's a masterful move she uses throughout "Detours" and a reminder not to count her out ever again. Grade: A-.

"WATERSHED" MOMENT. For the first time in her storied career, k.d. lang has written and produced the new album "Watershed" (Nonesuch) herself, and the challenge definitely sparked something in her as a performer. The sleek jazz of "Sunday" and "Thread," with its intoxicating mix of folk and Brazilian elements, is constructed to make lang's lush vocals sound best, even as some of her introspective lyrics ("Flame of the Uninspired" and

"Jealous Dog") reveal some self-doubt. On previous albums, lang has always looked for a lyrical theme or signature sound to tie her album together. On "Watershed" she finds the most compelling unifier of all - her own excellence.

("Watershed," in stores today; Grade: B+)

ALSO IN STORES. Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" (Brushfire); Lenny Kravitz's "It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (Virgin); Bob Mould's tales of his new home, Washington, D.C., "District Line" (Anti-); Deadboy Dax Riggs goes solo on "If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky" (Fat Possum); Hot Chip's "Made in the Dark" (Astralwerks); Taylor Dayne's "Satisfied" (Adrenaline); Long Island rockers Edison Glass' "Time Is Fiction" (Credential); and the soundtrack to "Step Up 2: The Streets" (Atlantic), including Missy Elliott's "Ching-a-Ling."

SONG OF THE WEEK. Yael Naim may be the most unlikely singer to benefit from a flashy Apple computer campaign. The Paris-born, Israel-raised singer-songwriter, who usually sings in Yiddish and French, released the pretty, quirky, piano-driven single "New Soul" (Tot ou Tard) last year with little fanfare. But now as the theme for the new Air laptop, Naim is getting unexpected attention because unlike other Apple hits, her song gets even better than the 30-second snippet suggests.

Contact Glenn Gamboa at 631-843-3434.