Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Sheryl Crow finds new groove as Memphis belle
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
Most Popular
Most Shared
N.Korea declares "sacred war" on U.S., South
| Video
23 Jul 2010
Clintons in tears over Chelsea? You can bet on it
19 Jul 2010
Analysis: Frustration grows as AIDS science and politics clash
23 Jul 2010
India develops world's cheapest "laptop" at $35
23 Jul 2010
Seven banks fail Europe stress test
| Video
23 Jul 2010
California city official quits nearly $800,000 post
23 Jul 2010
Dismissed Gen. McChrystal gets hero's send-off
23 Jul 2010
Stocks on brink of breakout
23 Jul 2010
BP spill work on hold as storm enters Gulf
| Video
1:00am EDT
Apple's white iPhone 4 delayed in latest headache
23 Jul 2010
N.Korea declares "sacred war" on U.S., South
| Video
23 Jul 2010
India develops world's cheapest "laptop" at $35
23 Jul 2010
Veteran journalist Daniel Schorr dies at 93
23 Jul 2010
Police nab bandit who used underwear as mask
22 Jul 2010
"Darth Vader" strikes NY bank
| Video
23 Jul 2010
Device combats common cause of vertigo
23 Jul 2010
Ancient ship unearthed at World Trade Center site
15 Jul 2010
Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters
03 Jul 2010
Air France attendant held for robbing passengers
20 Jul 2010
N.Korea threatens "physical response" to U.S. moves
| Video
23 Jul 2010
Sheryl Crow finds new groove as "Memphis" belle
Digg This
Tweet This
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Facebook
Related News
Billboard CD reviews: Eminem, Cyndi Lauper, Macy Gray
Fri, Jul 23 2010
Taylor-King tour hits right note for fans and business
Fri, Jul 16 2010
Billboard CD reviews: Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan
Fri, Jul 9 2010
Pat Benatar says she is a fan of Lady Gaga
Wed, Jul 7 2010
Canadian rockers Arcade Fire maintain DIY mystique
Tue, Jul 6 2010
Related Topics
Fashion »
Entertainment »
Music »
People »
U.S. singer Sheryl Crow performs on ABC's ''Good Morning America'' in New York July 23, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid
By Ann Donahue
Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:55pm EDT
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - As a young child one Christmas in Kennett, Mo., Sheryl Crow received a present that would change her life: a copy of the Jackson 5's "ABC." It was the first record she ever owned.
"Every Saturday morning, we were in front of the TV watching the Jackson 5 cartoon," she recalls. "I grew up watching 'American Bandstand' and learning all the current dances ... my parents were in a swing band. When they came home after gigs they were listening to a lot of rhythm and blues. The music that lured me was the music that came out of Memphis -- a lot of Al Green, and obviously Elvis and Sun Studios."
After a two-decade career, Crow has the credibility and star power to record an album in any genre she wants. "100 Miles From Memphis" (released July 20 on A&M Records), whose title refers to the distance from her hometown to the music mecca, is an ode to her formative memories of music -- and one that the label hopes can inspire young music fans to investigate the landscape beyond processed pop and Auto-Tune.
"She came of age in an era that can too easily define you by your hits, which she's had a lot of," says Crow's manager, Scooter Weintraub of W Management. "We both thought this is a good time to not be so concerned when radio looks at you a little bit differently than they did when you were 25 or 30. Younger audiences are learning about the Black Keys and the Raconteurs and the White Stripes, and that music is steeped in the same thing."
NEW PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS
But even classic soul requires new marketing techniques. "We looked at places where her audience may be that may not be traditional music spots," Interscope Geffen A&M vice chairman Steve Berman says.
Crow made appearances at the corporate headquarters of top companies -- in particular, at Starbucks and at the shareholders' meeting for one-time sparring partner Walmart -- and both retail giants have committed to promoting the album in-store. "It's funny, because (Starbucks) is kind of a throwback for me since the record-store tradition is dying," she says. "The fact (that) you have a social place where you can be a part of that is great."
Crow, who has long been vocal in her support of environmental issues and charitable organizations, recorded a public service announcement for the Humane Society that will be played extensively on TV.
It's the charity element, in fact, that brought Crow back into the Walmart fold, as the two will now team to promote local food banks. In 1996, the singer had a falling-out with the retail giant over the lyrics to her song "Love Is a Good Thing," which include: "Watch out sister/Watch out brother/Watch our children as they kill each other/With a gun they bought at the Walmart discount stores."
Walmart refused to carry the album that contained the song, "Sheryl Crow," although it still displayed her other records. Amends have been made, Crow says. "Since that time they've become very stringent about making sure that people buying guns are registered and that it's lawful," she says. "I would feel better if we would have stricter gun laws, and I'm not ashamed to say it."
'BAD' BEGINNING
Crow's first big break was as a backup singer for childhood hero Michael Jackson, and it was on Jackson's Bad world tour in the '80s where she met longtime manager Weintraub.
"We were both kids. I was like 26 years old or something," he says. "I'll never forget the first time I saw her sing a solo note rather than with the background singers. It was during a sound check and she sang an Aretha (Franklin) song -- and right then and there, I thought, 'Sheryl sounds like Bonnie Bramlett from Delaney & Bonnie.' A white, Southern soul singer with a little bit of a country rock twang. It's funny because her previous records allude to these styles sometimes, but this is the first time she full-on embraced it."
Overall, the 12 tracks of "Memphis" meld the kick-back boho vibe of Crow's early work with Stax-like instrumentation.
"My last record was very commentary-driven, very sociopolitical, as opposed to pop tunes," Crow says. "I kept running into (producer/guitarist) Doyle Bramhall II, who's this very dear friend. Doyle was working on this Eric Clapton record with Justin Stanley and I was loving what they were doing."
Bramhall and Stanley encouraged Crow to improvise. Doing a take on Marvin Gaye's "It's a Desperate Situation," she broke into a bit of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." That one-take moment of inspiration is now the bonus track on the album.
Most of "Memphis" was recorded at Henson Studios in Hollywood, where Crow inadvertently met up with Justin Timberlake, who was working with Jamie Foxx in the same building. "There's something really wonderful about working in a commercial studio," she says. "The last five records I made was in my own studio, so I don't run into a lot of people unless I invite them over. So I dragged (Timberlake) into the studio and said, 'You have to check out my Al Greenish version of Terence Trent D'Arby's 'Sign Your Name,'" and he loved it. He volunteered to sing background on it."
That little girl who danced along to the Jackson 5 and grew up to sing alongside Michael Jackson now has two children of her own, Wyatt and Levi. Crow dedicates the album -- and "all else" -- to them in the liner notes.
In part, Crow says, "Memphis" is inspired by the course of a full life well lived, and an acknowledgement that with wisdom comes a new creative perspective.
"Soul music typically pulls from emotion and vulnerability and desire," Crow says. "In these last few years I've become much more of an emotional person. I've had kids. I've gone through a lot that's been very transformative ... it was just something so effortless about making this record for me. It was truly an extension of where my soul is at right now."
Fashion
Entertainment
Music
People
Add a Comment
*We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Analyst Research
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Labs
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Saturday, 24 July 2010 U.N. rights forum names team to probe Israel ship raid
Last five freed Cuban dissidents arrive in Spain
Apple starts doling out iPhone 4 cases to solve 'death grip'
Medvedev urges joint nuclear, space projects with Italy
Hypo Real Estate only German bank to fail test: central bank
Most Greek banks defy doomsters, passing stress tests
Iran aims to put man in space by 2019: Ahmadinejad
|
Italy's banks pass EU stress tests, banks announce
US-TECH Summary
Greece's ATEbank pays price for farm sector deadweight
Google search share slips, Baidu gains: report
Venezuelan military warns Colombia against attack
|
Dutch court fines firm over Ivory Coast toxic waste
Bashir returns to Sudan after defying ICC in Chad
|
Notorious UK killer jailed on child porn charges
Amazon's weakness only for short term, say analysts
Major Spanish banks 'pass stress tests': reports
China's star blogger treads fine line
Kosovo and Serbia launch rival diplomatic offensives
|
Apple again delays white iPhone 4 debut
Progress seen at talks on world arms trade treaty
|
India develops 35-dollar 'laptop' for schools
France and Mauritania raid Al-Qaeda kidnap gang
Bettencourt to be questioned by police: lawyer
|
Apple's white iPhone 4 delayed in latest headache
Israel tells U.N. N.Korea hurting Mideast stability
|
Judge tells Conrad Black to stay in U.S.
India develops 35-dollar 'laptop' for schools
Pakistan face anxious wait for victory
China taking 'more aggressive' stance at sea: US admiral
Report says Uighur journalist jailed in China for 15 years
Japan defends costly visit by ex-N.Korean spy
Thailand to roll back emergency rule 'gradually': PM
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Google search share slips, Baidu gains: report
|
KISS hits the road, betting on spectacle and classic hits
Prosecutors to quiz Japan ruling party's Ozawa
Italian expose on gay priests 'troubles' the church
Unique coral reef spurs Mexico tourism battle
Botswana opens path for Bushmen to study at university
Bosnian Oscar-winner's film opens Sarajevo festival
U.S., Pakistan cooperating more, can improve
India's Jet Airways flies into profit
Top Indian economic panel urges stern action on inflation
Japan telecom firm KDDI posts 16.8 percent earnings drop
Taiwan eyes closer Japan trade ties after China pact
Thai central bank upgrades economic outlook
Audi striving to meet Chinese demand: chairman
JAL's turnaround plan features huge cost cut: report
Pakistani stocks up; rupee flat; o/n rates down
India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer
KISS hits the road, betting on spectacle and classic hits
|
Zsa Zsa Gabor in critical condition, husband says
|
Bosnian Oscar-winner's film opens Sarajevo festival
|
4 US soldiers killed in Afghan bomb attack: NATO
One killed, two injured in Russian mine blast
Tablets may allow 're-set' for media: News Corp.
BP to start drilling off Libya
N.Korea declares sacred war on U.S., South
|
Solar drone lands after record 14 days aloft
Telecom group sues San Francisco over mobile phone law
Roadside bombs a daily menace for troops in Afghanistan
|
US Admiral Mullen to urge Pakistan action on militants
Dutch court fines firm over Ivory Coast toxic waste
Seven banks fail EU health check, most cleared
Australian govt consolidates lead over opposition: poll
|
4 US troops die in bomb blast in south Afghanistan
U.S. looks to improve disabled access to Internet
NATO: 4 international troops die in Afghan blast
6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Philippines: USGS
|
Online tool launched to find aliens in US custody
Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor in 'critical condition': publicist
Chavez says U.S., Colombia seek pretext for invasion
|
Disney in talks to buy game startup Playdom: report
Telecom group sues San Francisco over mobile phone law
Bashir returns to Sudan after defying ICC in Chad
News Corp. plans MySpace relaunch, will 'go younger'
Evacuation underway as storm heads to Gulf spill site
17 wounded in blast targeting Afghan candidate
Brazil's Rousseff pulls ahead in election
|
Apple's white iPhone 4 delayed in latest headache
Most Greek banks defy doomsters, passing stress tests
One dies, 42 hurt when Swiss tourist train derails
|
Dell holds steady after $100 million SEC deal
US drone kills 12 militants in Pakistan: official
6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Philippines
Boxer Pacquiao now eyes Margarito fight
Delay in US marines' move from Okinawa to Guam: report
Irish photographer recalls day he met Khmer Rouge torturer
Australian govt consolidates lead over opposition: poll
25 die as bus plunges into Kashmir river: police
N.Korea threatens 'powerful nuclear deterrence'
Dismissed Gen. McChrystal gets hero's send-off
Maldives: Politics spark trouble in paradise
Flight crashes in Lake Mich.; 4 missing, 1 rescued
China to reduce number of capital crimes: media
NKorea vows nuclear response to US-SKorea drills
TRON:Legacy movie brings video game world to life
|
Woman, 23, charged in Facebook-feud fatal crash
Disney in talks to buy game startup Playdom: report
|
Calif. town outraged to learn of officials' pay
Global minimum and maximum temperatures
Black Eyed Peas' E.N.D. tour has staying power
Taiwan to be exempt from European panel tariff
Bret Michaels cited for marijuana on tour bus
Ex-Semisonic frontman steps into solo spotlight
China floods put pressure on Three Gorges Dam
U.S. looks to improve disabled access to Internet
|
Sheryl Crow finds new groove as "Memphis" belle
Music biz casts hopeful gaze on Swift's next album
Casey Affleck sued for sexual harassment
Folk-rock duo takes its Warhol soundtrack on tour
"TRON:Legacy" movie brings video game world to life
Farmer takes on despot in compelling documentary "Mugabe"
Music biz casts hopeful gaze on Swift's next album
|
Sheryl Crow finds new groove as Memphis belle
|
Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan collapses onstage
|
TRON:Legacy movie brings video game world to life
|
Casey Affleck sued for sexual harassment
|
Black Eyed Peas' E.N.D. tour has staying power
|
Bret Michaels cited for marijuana on tour bus
|
Ex-Semisonic frontman steps into solo spotlight
|
Russia insists on tech transfer in French warship deal
Iran won't trade with countries imposing sanctions
Iran plans to build nuclear fusion reactor
Taliban say 2 U.S. soldiers captured in Afghanistan
|
Senior officers among seven killed in Caucasus: reports
Turkish PM proposes amending sensitive army law
|
Al Qaeda claims responsibility for attacks in Iraq
5 US troops die in blasts in southern Afghanistan
Iran plans to build nuclear fusion reactor
|
Al Qaeda claims responsibility for attacks in Iraq
|
France, Mauritania end Mali operation: source
|
Iran won't trade with countries imposing sanctions
|
Brazil poll shows Rousseff and Serra tied in election
|
China evacuates 100,000 as rains swell rivers
Sanctions will draw strong 'physical' response: N.Korea
US missile strike kills 12 militants in Pakistan
North Korea declares "sacred war" on U.S. and South
Bangladesh zoo mourns 100-year-old elephant
Quake off Philippines, no damage reported
Australia PM offers 'cash for clunkers' climate policy
India carmaker Maruti posts quarterly profit fall
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights