Guitar in hand, Sheryl Crow planted herself down, returning to basics, practicing and writing, when the quarantine hit in 2020, revisiting her 30-plus year catalog of songs and reminiscing on their stories.
“I just started playing the guitar,” Crow tells American Songwriter. “I couldn’t figure out why I was playing. It wasn’t just work, but it was actually just for the fun of it and brought me back to practicing, which we don’t do very often. We’re always so busy playing shows to actually sit down and practice. That’s been a a real game changer for me, to be able to sit down and play 30, 40, 50 songs.”
On June 18, Crow takes her “Songs and Stories” to her “little church,” a private space built on her Nashville property. “Sheryl Crow: The Songs And The Stories – A Live Solo Performance” will feature tracks from the artist’s nearly 30-year career and 1993 debut Tuesday Night Music Club, filmed by mute-camera, high definition video, produced by the UK-based livestream company Driift. It feels complete and it feels unique,” says Crow, “and it’s something that I’ve never done before, so hopefully people will enjoy it.
“Doing a solo show like this is challenging and exhilarating,” Crow adds. “Presenting these songs in a new way is exciting for me. This is not a usual acoustic show. Those can be great, but this is something different. I feel the beginnings of a renewal after the painful separation we’ve been through. I have tremendous gratitude for it. I can’t wait for fans to hear and see this very special show.”
Sharing the stories behind her songs was also something Crow has never done throughout her career. “Storytelling has really gone by the wayside,” she says. “Being an artist doesn’t revolve around flashy videos. It’s really about sitting around telling stories, as a songwriter. Every song begins with a nugget of a story.”
She adds, “Sometimes when you’re writing songs, you’re starting from a place where you don’t really know what the authentic experience is, you’re just inspired. To be able to reflect on it, you realize what the song was actually referring to and what it was trying to put a Band-Aid on for you.”
Tina Eves 