100 Miles from Memphis

iTunes Review

Sheryl Crow is an industry heavyweight best known for her ability to deliver the radio-ready pop-rocker that sounds as natural as breathing. She is also a musical eclectic who loves both the music’s past and its present. This is hardly a tribute to Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis, but it resonates with blue-eyed soul. More importantly, it brings together musicians as noteworthy as Keith Richards for the reggae number “Eye to Eye” and then follows that with a cover of Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Sign Your Name” with an assist from Justin Timberlake. Producers Doyle Bramhall II and Justin Stanley add an extra Southern sizzle as Crow assembles everyone into a community circle for “Say What You Want” and the sweet naturalistic grounding of “Long Road Home” where you can hear the ‘70s coming into full stereo. Crow is so confident and diverse throughout that it’s a joy to hear her engaging a full band for the title track and then stripping things to an acoustic hush for the bonus version of “Long Road Home” where the harmonies recall a gospel choir doing its solemn work.