Customer Reviews

Live from Central Park

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Whoa, is this CD good. With the exception of the Dave Matthews Band, I usually do not enjoy the "live recording". But, much like DMB, Sheryl gives new and wonderful interpretations of established hits like A Change Would Do You Good and Leaving Las Vegas and includes rocking and seemingly impromptu insrumental riffs. In short, it is well worth the price.

As anyone who saw this event when it was televised on FOX can attest to, many Sheryl hits that were performed live are not included on the CD. Songs like her most recent chart-topper, Anything But Down, and other hits like Can't Cry Anymore and Sweet Child O' Mine, were sacrificed in lieu of a Keith Richards duet, Happy, that frankly left me mildly perturbed. Granted, as one of the Central Park "friends", Richards almost had to be included. Yet, the absence of Anything But Down is compensated by the inclusion of If It Don't Hurt which, I'm told, was not even shown on the cable re-broadcast of the concert.

Nonetheless, the cd is remarkable and trancends the limits many other live cd's from established artists adhere to. Highlights include If It Makes You Happy and The Difficult Kind while the Clapton collaboration, White Room, remains a classic.

I'm typically not a huge fan of live recordings, but this is one of the better quality live albums I have heard. Sheryl's bluesy vocals come across very well on this CD, and the general sound quality of the recording is very good as well. The guest appearances on this CD by such greats as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Nicks, Chrissie Hyde, and Sarah McLachlan are not only a great bonus, but also lend even more credibility to Sheryl as a great musical artist, despite the naysayers out there. As a Sheryl Crow fan, I rushed out to buy this on its release day, and now I am really looking forward to the release of Sheryl's DTS DVD "Rocking the Globe" (due out on 1/4/2000) - it should be awesome!

It's fun to watch an artist grow and bloom. Sheryl Crow's first CD, "Tuesday Night Music Club," released in 1993 was a nice effort that got her on the radio and the pop charts with some catchy tunes, but offered nothing special. But her second CD, the self-titled "Sheryl Crow" in 1996 showed that Sheryl was a woman and a musician to be reckoned with.

In 1999, Sheryl shared the stage with a diverse group of country and rock musicians, including music legends, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. "Sheryl Crow and Friends in Central Park," is great concert with, well friends. The music is tight and energetic, every one sounds like they really are having fun jamming together. Crow puts and edge in her live versions of "My Favorite Mistake" and "Leaving Las Vegas." The Dixie Chicks add some smooth vocals and country fiddle to "Strong Enough." Sheryl gets witchy with Stevie Nicks on "Gold Dust Woman." Listen up for some cool guitar licks and Stevie is still simply awesome.

It's good to hear the throaty vocals of Chrissie Hynde again; it's been too long. She joins in on "If It Makes You Happy," and a few other tracks. The party kicks up a notch with the Rolling Stones' standard, "Happy" with Keith Richards adding some blazing guitar. Not too many people can share a stage with Eric Clapton, nor contribute to an old Cream classic like "White Room," but the Clapton-Crow duet does it. Oh, and get ready for some more serious guitar. An all-star jam on Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" closes the show.

Those that attended the concert in Central Park were part of a great show. Outside of the thousands of New York fans screaming between songs, the live CD recording is studio quality. If you like any of these songs, you'll love the live covers. They are faithful to the originals with the added electricity of some famous friends jamming together.

This is a must have for any Sheryl Crow fan. From rocking tunes with Chrissy Hynde on "If It Makes You Happy" to slow ones with Dixie Chicks on "Strong Enough" you can tell why Sheryl is to be praised for her musical accomplishments. She also does "Difficult Kind" with Sarah Mclachlan which is a very beautiful song. My favorites are "Gold Dust Woman" with Stevie Nicks and "There Goes The Neighborhood." Neighborhood is one of those songs that you have to hear live. I would recommend this cd to everyone because Sheryl Crow is a very talented woman and you can tell this by the company that she keeps.

It's fun to watch an artist grow and bloom. Sheryl Crow's first CD, "Tuesday Night Music Club," released in 1993 was a nice effort that got her on the radio and the pop charts with some catchy tunes, but offered nothing special. But her second CD, the self-titled "Sheryl Crow" in 1996 showed that Sheryl was a woman and a musician to be reckoned with.

In 1999, Sheryl shared the stage with a diverse group of country and rock musicians and music legends, Stevie Nick, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. "Sheryl Crow and Friends in Central Park," is great concert with, well friends. The music is tight and energetic, every one sounds like they really are having fun jamming together. Crow puts and edge in her live versions of "My Favorite Mistake" and "Leaving Las Vegas." The Dixie Chicks add some smooth vocals and country fiddle to "Strong Enough." Sheryl gets witchy with Stevie Nicks on "Gold Dust Woman." Listen up for some cool guitar licks and Stevie is still simply awesome.

It's good to hear the throaty vocals of Chrissie Hynde again; it's been too long. She joins in on "If It Makes You Happy," and a few other tracks. The party kicks up a notch with the Rolling Stones' standard, "Happy" with Keith Richards adding some blazing guitar. Not too many people can share a stage with Eric Clapton, nor contribute to an old Cream classic like "White Room," but the Clapton-Crow duet does it. Oh, and get ready for some more serious guitar. An all-star jam on Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" closes the show.

Those that attended the concert in Central Park were part of a great show. Outside of the thousands of New York fans screaming between songs, the live CD recording is studio quality. If you like any of these songs, you'll love the live covers. They are faithful to the originals with the added electricity of some famous friends jamming together.

Sheryl Crow is one of the few artists to emerge in the 90s and show promise of bringing us back to the days when rock n roll stars actually had to work for their fame. Sheryl is one of the best live performers to come along since Stevie Nicks :). This CD highlights the great Central park concert and includes an AWESOME rendition of "A Change" plus Eric Clapton steals the show with "White Room" as does Stevie Nicks with "Gold Dust Woman"...

Wow! This is Sheryl Crow's best album by far, and it's not just the allstar cast that does it. The sound of the rythmn section is absolutely incredible on this CD. Of the songs that are hers, you will have a hard time finding a studio recording that sounds better. Crow also interacts with the audience in such a way that you know that she and everyone there are enjoying themselves. This is a true treat for Sherly Crow fans. Here are my thoughts on a few of the tracks.

1. Everyday Is A Winding Road - This is one of my favorites from Crow, and it doesn't take long for the rythmn section to shine.

4. Strong Enough - The Dixie Chicks are not one of my favorite bands so I wasn't very receptive to this at first. However, the more I heard it, the more it grew on me. The addition of violins to the song gives it something extra.

7. Gold Dust Woman - This track is really about Stevie Nicks and what a great vocalist she still is; however, Crow holds her own with someone who's been doing it for quite some time.

11. The Difficult Kind - Lilith Fair revisited. Sarah McLachlan's voice really adds a new dimension to this song. McLachlan and Crow harmonize well together, and hopefully this won't be the last recording where they do.

12. White Room - True greatness. Crow lends her vocals to go with a dead on solo from Eric Clapton.

After planning to watch this live concert on TV, and then missing it, I was highly anticipating the release of the CD version. I was impressed by the high power of energy, but it did not surpass my expectations. Her guests are incredible, most notably Stevie Nicks on 'Gold Dust Woman', helping to make this CD what it is. It also includes older Crow tracks, all of which are done quite nicely with audience reactions. It is apparent that Sheryl had a great time doing this, and you will be able to hear that on this album; however, don't expect a phenomenal effort. All in all, this is an attempt to gather notority, which she succeeds in doing on this album.

If you've ever had the privilage to see a Sheryl concert you realize that the studio works are fine, but she gives so much more passion to playing LIVE. This really captures and projects the fun! It is well worth having an album of repeat works. Hearing the joint jams with other legends in music makes you realize her place in the history books. If you love Sheryl, you'll love this.

Live albums are often disappointing, but this one rocks! The sound is great, the vocals are strong, and Sheryl sings all of her best songs. All her friends give strong performances, especially Eric Clapton on White Room. The thing I like most about this album is that Sheryl's guests don't try to make her songs their own, yet their own special style still comes through.