Track Listing 1. I Know Why 2. Perfect Lie 3. Good Is Good 4. Chances Are 5. Wildflower 6. Lifetimes 7. Letter to God 8. Live It Up 9. I Don't Wanna Know 10. Always on Your Side 11. Where Has All the Love Gone 12. Always on Your Side
| Details | | Producer: | Jeff Trott, John Shanks, Sheryl Crow | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Personnel: Sheryl Crow (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, background vocals); Sheryl Crow; Jeff Trott (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, piano, Wurlitzer piano, Wurlitzer organ, bass synthesizer, drum programming, background vocals); John Shanks (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, keyboards, bass guitar, background vocals); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar, baritone guitar); Bruce Kaphan (pedal steel guitar); David Campbell (strings); Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (piano); Keith Schreiner (synthesizer, drums, drum programming); Mike Elizondo (bass guitar); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards); Daniel Chase (drums, percussion, programming); Jeff Rothschild (drums, programming); Abe Laboriel, Jr., Brian MacLeod (drums). Audio Mixers: John Shanks; Jeff Rothschild; Chris Lord-Alge; Andy Wallace; Bob Clearmountain. Recording information: Black Apple Studios, Portland, OR; Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Larrabee Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA; Music Lane Recording, Austin, TX; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA; Sage And Sound Recording, Hollywood, CA; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA; Talentshop Recorders, Nashville, TN. Photographers: Carter Smith; Sheryl Nields. On her fifth studio album, singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow leaves her carefree rock tunes by the side of a winding road, traveling forward with a subdued, introspective set of songs. The result is akin to Beck's SEA CHANGE, a record that largely eschews upbeat pop in favor of quieter, more thoughtful tracks. (In fact, Beck's father, David Campbell, provides string arrangements for almost every song on WILDFLOWER.) Although there is a notable chamber-pop feel to this 2005 album, with an orchestra present on all but one track, the strings never eclipse Crow's pensive songs, and the focus here remains on her immediately recognizable and strikingly emotive vocals. "I Know Why" opens WILDFLOWER with gentle acoustic-guitar and banjo lines, while the Eastern-tinged "Chances Are" coasts over a foundation of subtle synthesizers and tabla-like drum programming. The disc's most energetic moment, "Live It Up," hews closest to Crow's past hits, but the overall mood of the record is beautifully autumnal, revealing that, even more than a decade into her solo career, she's not afraid to challenge herself or her listeners Originally, Sheryl Crow planned to have her follow-up to 2002's Top Ten hit C'mon, C'mon be two simultaneously released albums, announcing their autumn release at the beginning of 2005, but by the time the fall rolled around, the project had been scaled back to a single album: Wildflower. If C'mon, C'mon was a cheerful, bright record ideal for sunny summer days, Wildflower is its opposite, a warm, introspective record that's tailored for the fall. It's not dissimilar to 1998's The Globe Sessions, which felt like a somber hangover to the wonderfully weird party of her eponymous 1996 second album, but where The Globe Sessions had a weary, heartbroken feel, there's a comfortable, lived-in atmosphere and sense of genuine affection on Wildflower. Celebrity press and pre-release hype attributed this love-mad vibe to Crow's romance with cyclist Lance Armstrong -- the couple announced their engagement the same month Wildflower was released -- and there surely must be some sort of correlation between Crow's personal life and work, but anybody looking for an album explicitly about her relationship with Armstrong (the way that, say, Eric Benet's Hurricane is all about his divorce from Halle Berry) will be disappointed. There are certainly plenty of songs about love here, but Crow's songs are not about specific events (unless they're neo-protest songs like the lively "Live It Up"). They're open-ended, so it's easy to hear the record and never think about Armstrong. As a matter of fact, the subjects of the songs matter less than the feel of the album. It's easy to spin Wildflower a couple of times ...
Editorial Reviews 3 stars out of 5 - Her tunesmithery is still right there, sneaking in alluring dissonances... Mojo
3 out of 5 stars - ...The track Chances Are is gorgeous...It's reminiscent of early Van Morrison and suggests new possibilities for Crow. Rolling Stone
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