Wildflower

Sheryl Crow

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 27, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000AOENCM
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,029 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Since her 1993 debut, Tuesday Night Music Club, Sheryl Crow has been churning out unassailably appealing CDs in an unassailably appealing voice. Which means, according to the rules of the pop music cosmos, by album six it's about time for a misstep. Natural law, fortunately, will have to keep checking its watch. Wildflower moves Sheryl Crow one step closer to Hall of Fame status as she shunts the established rock star's impulse to get all experimental, but instead sprawls, rambling rose-like, across the substance-spiked pop landscape she helped pioneer. Three ingredients, glistening vocals, flawless production, and catchy songs rub up against one another in all the right places. These ingredients will cause you to hold your breath on the beautiful piano ballad "Always on Your Side." They pop up again on the George Harrison-esque "Where Has All the Love Gone" reminding you that Crow can reflect and reveal as convincingly as she can rock. If there is a ripple that runs through Wildflower, it's a pensive one. On the spacy "Chances Are," she sings of being "...lost inside a daydream." The measure of her talent, ripe and reappraisal-resistant, is her ability to consistently bring us inside the bubble with her. --Tammy La Gorce

Recommended Sheryl Crow Discography

Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow

C’mon C’mon

Product Description
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing includes three bonus tracks. Universal. 2008. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wildflower Grows , September 28, 2005

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Sheryl Crow has every reason to be happy. She's at the peak of her musical game and she's engaged to Lance Armstrong. One would think that her next album would be full of songs dedicated to the happiness of life and love. Wildflower is not that record. It is a string-laden and filled with lovelorn ballads. The orchestration is beautiful and the lyrics contain Ms. Crow's usual sharp incites. The album isn't as immediate as her other works, the songs are deeper and darker. There is one exception, the ultra-catchy and upbeat "Live It Up" which has a great chorus and vocal. "Chances Are" has a pretty melody build around an acoustic guitar and tabla, "Perfect Lie" has a torch song feel and the title track has a folk vibe. "Lifetimes" has a rock edge, though it is not a rocker. The best track on the album is the gorgeous "Always On Your Side". It has an achingly beautiful melody with a sparse arrangement and maybe the bets vocal of Ms. Crow's career.

96 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life, Love and Coming of Age, September 27, 2005

By	Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

With her latest release, the artsy, introspective "Wildflower," singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow has cemented her status as a legendary talent of our time and created the defining album of her career. A fast-moving collection of musings on the trials and tribulations of life, love and coming of age - as well as pondering one's purpose in this life - the record is ideal accompaniment for cold, lonely nights.

Despite the rather downcast state of the album's subject matter, which will furrow the eyebrows of listeners who know even a tidbit of the fortunate circumstances that surround Crow's life as of late, it nevertheless contains savory melodies and instantly accessible yet probing lyrics that not only entertain, but prompt listeners to think and care. That means that it embodies the core characteristics that Crow is known for. Just don't expect Geronimo's rifle, Marilyn's shampoo or Benny Goodman's corset and pen to show up. And if all you wanna do is have some fun, you had best wait for the new Madonna record.

Lead single "Good Is Good" is a fine indicator of the bulk of the material on "Wildflower." While the lyrics are sung over a buoyant, radio-friendly melody, they tell a story of a character that takes so much for granted until all the most important things are suddenly missing from his life.

"When the day is done/And the world is sleeping/And the moon is on its way to shine/When your friends are gone/You thought were so worth keeping/You feel you don't belong/And you don't know why."

On the other hand, Crow maintains on "I Don't Wanna Know" that ignorance is bliss, reasoning "everything I know makes me feel so low," while on the invigorating opener "I Know Why" she examines insecure souls who have endured such heartbreak they find it difficult to open up to love again.

"I know why the heart gets lonely/Every time you give your love away/But if you think that you are only/A shadow in the wind/Blowin' 'round but when/You let somebody in/They might fade away."

The most overwhelming moment of the disc is "Chances Are," a harrowing epic that examines humanity at its very core and is sonically reminiscent of "Weather Channel," the outstanding conclusion of 2002's "C'mon, C'mon" album. Meanwhile, the sweeping "Perfect Lie" and the sparse title track examine co-dependency and its emotional repercussions, both full of intense pain and beauty.

By no means is the album devoid of levity, however. "Always On Your Side" waxes on unconditional love, as she sails through outstanding lyrics with achingly beautiful vocals, while also finding time to tip her hat to Sir Elton John. Also, "Live It Up" is as radio-ready as past hits like "Soak Up the Sun" or "Steve McQueen." Nevertheless, the former leaves the listener to question whether her love was finally returned, while the latter conveys the bittersweet message that life is an elusive gift, and so we had best "live it up like there's no time left."

The ultimate in spine-tingling can be found on "Letter to God," an easy-going protest of the war in Iraq that finds Crow more contemplative and confused than angry or bitter, asking "what do you do when you look to the left and to the right and find no clues?" The concluding selection, "Where Has All the Love Gone?," however, raises the most important question of all.

"And even though I'm trying to smile/With everything I see/It could take a while/I've been looking/Everywhere I go/Where has all the love gone?"

Without a doubt, "Wildflower" is the most solid record of Crow's career. Although she has always been a fine musician, her salad days hardly hinted that she would reach such dizzying creative heights as this. If listeners could slow down their everyday lives and allow themselves to be pulled in by this record, they'd stand a lot to gain on more than one level.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL Music by a GREAT Lady!, May 21, 2006

By	Shmama "MamaNature2" (WI United States) - See all my reviews

Just because this cd is mellower than some of her past music, some have lowered thier review scores for Sheryl. HEY, this lady is 44 & has been through ALOT. This Lovely album is a bit more mature than previous recordings & is Terrific in all respects! I share the exact same birthday (& birthyear) as Ms. Crow so maybe we are on the same page in the big picture book, but in any case I think she is so talented & have so much respect for her & her work! Take a listen, it's thoughtful & lovely stuff! You GO Lady! I will be enjoying this (& all your past recordings as well) & anxiously awaiting the next! Rock on!