Fridae

What does a forty-year-old woman do when she realizes that her youth is now way past her? She takes up surfboarding!

This ain't no ordinary woman though�this is Sheryl Crow. Four albums since her solo debut in 1993, Crow has grown from a "wannabe" to a "living legend". Not surprisingly, C'mon, c'mon sees her teaming up with rock legends like Don Henley, Emmylou Harris, Liz Phair, Stevie Nicks and even Gwyneth Paltrow (yes, Gwyneth the actress). Whether their presence in the album was really needed is still a debatable issue.

Here's how the story on this new record goes. It's summer and Crow has her 45 on. Unfortunately, she's not talking about a .45 caliber gun (thank God for small miracles) on Soak Up The Sun. Rather, it's plain ol' sunscreen. It's sunny skies, blue waters, and everything that comes with summer (including the sunburn). Suffice to say, the theme is not unlike k.d. Lang's Invincible Summer a couple of years ago.

Put simply, it's a feel-good summer record�or at least that's how Crow wants us to see her "three-year labor of love". Personally, her debut and sophomore albums were probably her absolute best. Crow goes too "radio-friendly" that at times it's like listening to Michelle Branch. C'mon, c'mon wants to sound "fun", but sounds too made-up to be just that. Her emotional breakdown during the making of the album might have played a part. But unlike Mariah, her album made it through.

The opening, Steve McQueen, is one of the album's best tracks. Crow hits it off with "Well I went to bed in Memphis / And I woke up in Hollywood", explaining her humble beginnings from a country girl to a big-city rock star. Soak Up The Sun is almost brainless, but makes a good sequel to Tuesday Night Music Club's All I Wanna Do with lyrics like "I don't have digital / I don't have diddly squat" (at least she never called herself a poet). You're An Original (with an almost invisible Lenny Kravitz) is humorously sarcastic and aimed to those who are too full of themselves in the music business: "You're an original, baby / Turn around and you�re looking at a hundred more."

So is this album worth it? Depends on what you're looking for. If you're a Crow fan, you'll be satisfied enough�at least it's not depressing as Globe Sessions was. If you're the kind who likes driving through a country road with the top down (yours or your car's) with the stereo cranked all the way up, this definitely will make your "fast machine" scream all the way.