I kinda like these guys ...

[rahock]

i think crow is a musical opportunist.she will adapt to whatever seems to be the 'next big thing'.

Ya know, I wish I had that ability . In the past I have tried and failed. I am not one those REAL flexible people. Now that I'm an old fart, I'm OK with that. As a younger fart, I wish I could have been more adaptable. Hell, Who knows, I coulda been a contender .
Rick

[uwe]

You can complain and whine all you want about Sheryl Crow, but she's got a helluva band with Peter Stroud, Audley Freed and Robert Kearns in the fold.

I'm fine with her music and voice. Her last "country" album was lame though.

[Pilgrim]

I'm pretty impressed with country music these days.  They have a formula, but I think there's a lot of talent on display - and some of it is much better listening than pop music.

I started as a DJ spinning country & western back in 1968.  That was when Roy Acuff's version of Great Speckled Bird was still on the playlist, which is to my ear one of the more awful recordings ever...and there were others just as bad.  The antidotes were country ballads like Dick Curless with The Heartline Special



and Marty Robbins with the El Paso hits (and one called "Big Iron.)  But back then, the old style music was a much bigger influence.



I find the music on today's country stations more listenable overall than some of the stuff I heard played backintheday...that's stuff I left in the 45 bin and ignored in favor of more contemporary cuts. Since I have a weakness for ballads, I often pulled them as a first choice for air play.

[Dave W]

I'm pretty impressed with country music these days.  They have a formula, but I think there's a lot of talent on display - and some of it is much better listening than pop music.

I started as a DJ spinning country & western back in 1968.  That was when Roy Acuff's version of Great Speckled Bird was still on the playlist, which is to my ear one of the more awful recordings ever...and there were others just as bad.  The antidotes were country ballads like Dick Curless with The Heartline Special

Say what? Roy Acuff recorded Great Speckled Bird in 1936. And it's a hymn, hardly representative of country music. For that matter, the western ballads you posted aren't either.

Country Marty

[Dave W]

As for Sheryl Crow, IMHO she's a talented musician but disappointing as a songwriter. I wouldn't touch the basses she consigned at Willie's, though. Might have had Kid Rock's DNA on them (shudder). Can't take chances, you know.

It doesn't bother me if a pop or rock artist decides to do country, so long as what they're doing actually is country music. If it's country-influenced pop, that's okay, too, just don't call it country music. And the current douchebag frat boy rock passing itself off as country? 

[Pilgrim]

In the late 60's, those were all still on the oldies play list...and I got requests for them, too. The Marty Robbins stuff was around 10 years old, and won a Grammy in 1961.

Here are the top 10 Billboard hits of 1968...all more contemporary, but some pretty classic stuff.

"Stand by Your Man" — Tammy Wynette 2:41
"Heaven Says Hello" — Sonny James 2:06
"Mama Tried" — Merle Haggard 2:13
"Folsom Prison Blues" — Johnny Cash 2:46
"Skip a Rope" — Henson Cargill 2:39
"Wichita Lineman" — Glen Campbell 3:09
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" — Eddy Arnold 2:50
"Sing Me Back Home" — Merle Haggard 2:50
"Next in Line" — Conway Twitty 2:53
"Harper Valley PTA" — Jeannie C. Riley 3:11

[Basvarken]

As for Sheryl's songwriting capabilties. I think none of us here on this forum has ever written one single hit.
Miss Crow wrote more than a few...


I don't mind what people call it. Country pop, singer-songwriter, Americana. Whatever.
A lot of her music is perhaps a little too sweet for my liking. But the musicianship is superb.

[uwe]

Ah, Rob has a crush on her! With the benefit of having a Dutch guitarist in my band, I now know how these people think. They say: I appreciate the music. They mean: Man, do I dig that girl! 

[Basvarken]

I admit, I wouldn't mind finding her between the sheets. 
Her music is a bit too sweet for me though. Floor is a bigger fan of her than I am 

[Dave W]

As for Sheryl's songwriting capabilties. I think none of us here on this forum has ever written one single hit.
Miss Crow wrote more than a few...


I don't mind what people call it. Country pop, singer-songwriter, Americana. Whatever.
A lot of her music is perhaps a little too sweet for my liking. But the musicianship is superb.

If writing hits is a measure of greatness, then Justin Bieber is far greater than Sheryl Crow.

Songs like Anything But Down and Soak Up The Sun are catchy, all right, but they sound like they were only written in order to have a hit.

[Basvarken]

I don't think Justin Bieber writes his music.

[Dave W]

I believe he's the primary writer on a lot of his songs.

Kesha writes her own songs too. Tik Tok has outsold anything by Sheryl Crow. I read that it's the best selling single ever by a solo female artist. Does that make her even better?

[Basvarken]

Oh please Dave.
You know exactly what I mean.
Sheryl Crow has proven to be a darn good songwriter ever since she first hit the scene with Tuesday Night Music Club.
I think it's funny you doubt her songwriting skills. And if your only defense is to compare her with Just Bieber et al, that pretty much ends the discussion for me. 

Oh well, to each his own.

[Pilgrim]

I suspect Soak up the Sun will be re-played long after Justin Bieber's stuff has been forgotten.  Great tune!

[Dave W]

Oh please Dave.
You know exactly what I mean.
Sheryl Crow has proven to be a darn good songwriter ever since she first hit the scene with Tuesday Night Music Club.
I think it's funny you doubt her songwriting skills. And if your only defense is to compare her with Just Bieber et al, that pretty much ends the discussion for me. 

Oh well, to each his own.

Don't blame me, you're the one who brought up that she had more hit songs than anyone here. That either suggests having a hit song makes one better or that people who don't have hit songs shouldn't be critical.

She has songwriting skills, all right. Too bad she uses them to write fluffy ear candy.

As you said, to each his own. I used to listen to the Ramones or Pistols on the way into work because it relaxed me in rush hour traffic.