After more than 25 years of country-pop-rock fame, Sheryl Crow has released Threads, her 11th and apparently final full-length album.
To mark the occasion, she has invited no less than 23 collaborators to join her — Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Sting and more sit beside newer names such as Maren Morris and Andra Day.
With its dizzying cast, Threads is hardly cohesive, but there are some gems. Emmylou Harris and Mavis Staples add soulfully weathered vocals, while St Vincent’s jaunty art-pop enlivens Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You. The dramatic gospel of Lucius’ backing vocals on Don’t is superb.
Johnny Cash appears posthumously on Redemption Day. Initially released by Crow in 1996 lamenting the Bosnian War, its fearful lyrics ring eerily true in today’s world. This new version, with sparse piano and Cash’s ominous tones, is haunting.
There are misfires. Story of Everything is a rattling hotchpotch of hip-hop, funk, rock and country. Still The Good Old Days, featuring Joe Walsh, is a protracted jam swept up in nostalgia.
In fact, many of the 17 tracks drag on towards the five-minute mark. But if this really is Crow’s last album, can you blame her for taking the time to savour it?
