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.

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.