Sheryl Crow’s new album is a pick you up. No lie.
The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee returns with Pick You Up (via Old Green Barn Productions LLC), a seven-track collection produced by Crow and guitarist Jeff Trott and recorded at her Old Green Barn home studio.
On the new effort, which dropped at midnight, Crow can be found driving the bus. The “Freedom Bus,” to be sure. The politically-minded opening number features a guest vocal by Jesse Welles and was inspired by an 8th grade class field trip with her son that visited Arlington National Cemetery. The experience provided an epiphany.
“We had a tour guide who was inspired…and the stories were not only inspiring but humbling,” Crow recently told Billboard’s Gary Graff. “Everybody is trying to figure out what’s happening now. I don’t know that there’s anybody my age who doesn’t look at it and go, ‘It’s never been like this. It’s never been one side against another like it is now.’
“I do not take freedom lightly, because our freedom has been paid for in the lives of others throughout history, and that is something I wish we could all remember when we are interacting with each other.”
There’s interacting, and there’s picking a fight. “My whole feeling is just because you have the freedom of speech, it doesn’t give you permission to be an assh-le,” she continued. “You should care about a thoughtful dialogue. You should care about being able to disagree but still shake hands and hope for the best for everyone. We’ve lost that.”
Crow is coming off a busy couple months, during which she has performed a handful of concerts; was tapped to sing the National Anthem for the Sept. 3 football game at her alma mater, the University of Missouri, kicking off the 100th season of the school’s Memorial Stadium; she headlined America’s Tailgate On CBS; received BMI’s prestigious Troubadour Award; and spoke at AMERICANAFEST.
Across her career, Crow has accumulated 19 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including four top 10s. On the Billboard 200, she has racked up 13 appearances, including nine top 10s. The “All I Wanna Do” singer got the nod for the Rock Hall as part of the Class of 2023.
Pick You Up is Crow’s 13th studio album. Stream it in full below.
