Sheryl Crow Evolution LP (Gold Metallic Vinyl)

Nine-time Grammy Award winner and 2023 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee, Sheryl Crow, releases her 11th full length studio album, Evolution. The album comes as a welcome surprise after Crow publicly stated that she would not release another full-length album after 2018's Threads.

"Everything is more song oriented now with streaming, and making an album is a huge endeavor," Crow explained in a press statement. "I started sending just a couple of demos to Mike, but the songs just kept flowing out of me, and it was pretty obvious this was going to be an album.

"This music and these lyrics came from sitting in the quiet and writing from a deep soul place. I said I'd never make another record, thought there was no point to it. But this music comes from my soul. And I hope whoever hears this record can feel that."

Evolution kicks off with her lead single "Alarm Clock," which is perhaps Sheryl Crow's most radio-friendly pop song since "Soak Up The Sun."

The nifty trick of Evolution is that it never sounds as if Crow is succumbing to nostalgia. Rather, the record feels like she's settling into her skin. Filled with sunny hooks, busy rhymes, and relaxed rhythms, Evolution is a good time whose cheerfulness camouflages its vaguely deeper undercurrents. The vibe is familiar, but the sound is fresh and, better yet, Evolution isn't ponderous: it's brisk and bright, keeping its focus squarely on the gifts that brought Crow into the Hall of Fame.