Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wants to do more than just have some fun
From Grammy awards to multi-platinum albums—Sheryl Crow has achieved them all. Since her 1993 debut, she's become one of the few female performers to earn a regular place in the charts, now she's turning to new media to promote her forthcoming album Detours. She took time out for a controversial chat with ARTISTdirect about personal challenges and political convictions.
This is your sixth studio release. What was driving you creatively this time around?
Well, that’s a three-hour conversation! The title is "Detours," and the idea behind that is I think that we—as people, but also as a as a social movement—we go on all these detours that take us away from who we really are. It’s really in the last six years, watching where we’ve gone as a nation until we are now perceived in the world as being out of touch. So, the album is politically driven, but it’s also personally driven. The detours that my life has taken over the last three years have brought me back to a place where I can remember who it is that I am and what I want to feel. Whether it’s having breast cancer, whether it’s having adopted my son—all of these things are defining and refining moments.
And you teamed up again with Bill Bottrell, who produced Tuesday Night Music Club?
Yes. This has actually been the most exciting record I’ve made since 1993, because I worked with Bill again. Both our lives have taken extreme journeys, so coming back together was really a sweet experience—an inspired experience. Where it’s rocking, it’s rocking, and where it’s truthful, it’s very intimate. It’s fully committed to whatever genre the song is written in, the lyrics are very honest. Having Wyatt in my life now really made me unable to edit myself—there was a real sense of urgency. It’s very, very forthright.
And I suppose all of those new experiences have given you new perspectives to bring to your song-writing.
Absolutely. I feel like it’s a very compelling time to be an artist. Because we’re seeing such a switch to people not feeling like they need to pay for music—or movies or art, whatever’s available on the internet—it’s even more compelling to write the truth and go out so people will find it, because it’s not going to get played on the radio. Nobody’s really out there talking about what’s going on. I feel there’s a great need for this conversation—the kind of conversation that’s going on with me and my friends.
The switch you talk about away from traditional venues for music exposure and towards downloading—how has that been affecting your career?
Well, the reason we’re promoting this now is that it is like the Wild West out there. It’s not the old days where you’d put a single out and if people liked it, they bought the record. Now, it’s a completely different road that you take, and I’m really excited about the fact that we’re not even leaking these songs, we’re just putting them out there for people to hear before the record comes out next year. There are four songs going out with videos on YouTube and it’s a great way for people to hear what the record’s about. And along with that, I feel like there’s a great dialogue to be had because hopefully these songs are thought-provoking.
You’re career has spanned such a period of change in the industry. As an artist, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
It is completely different. For one thing, anyone can make a record now. If you have a computer and ProTools, you can do it at home without the cost, and anyone can make a video and stick it on YouTube and six million people may see it. And that’s compounded by the fact you can download a record and not pay for it, so it’s harder for people who are trying to make a living. It’s tricky. There’s got to be a way for us to make our living as songwriters.
And that’s probably when touring and merchandise becomes so important…
Right, and touring is another issue as I get older. I have a little boy now, so there are all these things that will weigh. It’s always been different for the women I’ve talked to in the industry. Chrissie Hynde was so helpful to me when we talked about touring. It’s like you have your children, and then as a mom you stay home and raise them. Or, as a male rock star, you have your kids and then the mom stays home while you tour. I think that freedom gives them longevity in a way women don’t have.
So would you say that being a woman has presented extra challenges in your career?
I’ve never really thought about it in terms of male or female, I just know that as music is changing towards being an entertainment-orientated medium, I think it’s an even more compelling time to be an artist. We’ve got a war going on that nobody talks about—but there’s no demonstrating, or picketing. I think we’re just emotionally detached, and maybe that comes from having so much information from the internet, and 24-hour cable TV. We’ve gone to sleep. In my mind, there are people out there who want to hear lyrics that echo their concerns, and as we see the world changing, it would almost be ridiculous to have music that doesn’t relate. I think we’re going to see a shift—well, I’m hoping we’re going to see a shift towards that.
So have you personally become involved with any issues? I know that environmentalism has always been close to your heart.
Last Spring I went on the road with Laurie David (producer of An Inconvenient Truth) on a bio-diesel bus and went to college campuses. We talked about what they can do in their personal lives, and in future workplaces in an effort to go green. It was an interesting tour because the young people are very concerned, and feeling really ripped off by the state of the planet they’ve inherited. At the same time, there’s incredible ingenuity coming up with ways to live a green lifestyle. The campaign of fear we’ve been living through for the last seven years can make people feel powerless, and there’s so much misinformation out there. It’s easier just to tune out and get on with our shopping.
You seem optimistic that artists can start the debate, and contribute politically…
It’s such a strange and indefinable time right now for artists. You finish your record and then you have no idea what’s going to happen so far as people downloading or viewing. But for me on this record, it wasn’t so much about making a living as it being heard. Hopefully it is addressing what a lot of people are saying.
—Abby McDonald
12.17.07
Friday, December 14, 2007
Sheryl Crow to headline 'CNN Heroes' tribute
(CNN) -- Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Wyclef Jean and Norah Jones join CNN for a live global telecast honoring ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow will preview her 2008 album
"CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour, honors the most outstanding viewer-nominated CNN Heroes as chosen by a blue ribbon panel of world leaders and luminaries.
The December 6 gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York is the culmination of a five-month audience nomination process to recognize some of the people among us who see a world of possibility and hope.
The show will include performances from Grammy Award winners Blige and Crow and a duet by Grammy Award winner Jones and acclaimed performer-producer Jean.
The CNN Heroes:
• Eighteen viewer-nominated CNN Heroes finalists selected from more than 7,000 names submitted by viewers in 80 countries.
• Viewers' Choice: The most popular CNN Hero profiled on air and online between May 1 and September 30, as chosen in a poll conducted on CNN.com.
• Everyday Superheroes: Three remarkable people recognized by CNN for their spontaneous acts of courage in the face of danger: Wesley Autrey, who jumped onto New York subway tracks to save the life of a student; Zach Petkewicz, who helped prevent a shooter from killing a classroom of students at Virginia Tech; and John Smeaton, a baggage handler who thwarted a terrorist attack at Glasgow Airport in Scotland.
The performers:
• Mary J. Blige: Grammy-winning "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" will give her first live performance of a song from her forthcoming new album "Growing Pains."
• Sheryl Crow: Singer/songwriter previews her 2008 album "Detours" with a live performance of one of her new songs.
• Wyclef Jean and Norah Jones: Duet and first-ever live performance of a new track from Jean's new album, "Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant," to be released December 4.
The presenters:
• Tyra Banks: Supermodel, actor and host of the daytime talk show, "The Tyra Banks Show."
• Harry Connick Jr.: Musician, singer and actor, heavily involved in efforts to rebuild his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina.
• Glenn Close: Academy Award nominee and star of the hit TV series "Damages."
• Rosario Dawson: Activist, actress, and star of this year's cult hit "Grindhouse."
• LL Cool J: Hip-hop legend, TV and movie star, expected to release a new album early in 2008.
• Kyra Sedgwick: Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning star of hit TV series "The Closer."
• Jimmy Smits: Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor and star of the CBS drama "Cane."
Peabody winner producing gala
Joel Gallen, who has helmed ambitious telethon events supporting victims of both the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, serves as executive producer for the December 6 event.
Gallen won a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes" and has been nominated for several Emmy awards throughout his career.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Detours Videos
Sheryl Crow has plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. In the last year, the nine-time Grammy winne, became a mother to adopted son Wyatt, traveled the country on a Stop Global Warming college tour, got up in Karl Rove's grill, and oh yes, finished a new album to be released next February. Crow took a break from mixing to chat about her new single "Shine Over Babylon", her Thanksgiving plans, and how we, as a nation, need to wake up.
What are you up to for Thanksgiving? I am heading home to Kennett, Missouri, where my whole family is, and I'm sure we're going to overeat. Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday; it's so relaxing. There's no hustle and bustle like the Christmas gift bloat, and then I'm heading to New York to do press for this album.
Why did you choose "Shine Over Babylon" as your first single? Actually, this isn't technically the first single. The record business has changed so drastically -- it's like the Wild West out here -- that the game plan was to get out as much music before the album came out as possible, so people could hear it. This was the first one that I felt should come out because it really speaks to the tone of the record and for me, it has a lot of impact as to what's going on right now. We're going to follow it with three more songs with video on YouTube in the upcoming week.
YouTube, huh? Do people even bother with television now? As far as I know, MTV and VH1 don't play music videos any more; it's all reality TV and game shows, so I don't know if they'll really pick up a video. To me, it's an interesting time because you used to make a video for a million dollars with a great director. Now, you spend $10,000, if that, with no hair and make-up, and do it completely guerrilla style. For example, we did a song called "God Bless This Mess" about the war and we shot it in front of the White House and nobody stopped us. It's really really exciting to just go out and shoot, like how Bob Dylan shot "Don't Look Back" -- it's just a guy with a camera and you're performing the song.
Did no one care you were recording in front of the White House? It was almost like I was shape-shifting, honest to god. I couldn't get arrested doing this video. I was even trying -- I mean, is anyone even noticing that I'm singing subversive lyrics right in front of the White House? Goes to show you.
"Shine Over Babylon" isn't necessarily as controversial, but it's certainly eco-conscious. Even though it may sound like an apocalyptic diatribe, I hope people will find a certain modicum of hope in it. It's really more of a battle cry than about being disillusioned.
What issues work you up the most? The last three years have been very impactful for me, particularly when it comes to politics. Really, even the last six years. My album is called "Detours," and I come back to that theme all the time, because personally... [Crow shifts voices] Hi big boy, my smiley bug, my son just got up... Anyway, I always think of detours as some path that you take away from yourself before it eventually brings you back to remembering who you are. For the last six years, we've been sent on the most massive detour based on fear and misinformation, and we have to really look at our selves in this moment in time -- and it's directly correlated to our lack of passion and our propensity to fall asleep in the face of misinformation -- and just figure out who we are. Personally, the detours I've been on relationship-wise and with my breast cancer, have helped define who I am and who I'm going to be.
I can imagine motherhood is also a transformative experience. I'll tell you -- not to sound like a Hallmark card, but just having him around has rendered my heart completely open and fearless. [When writing the album,] I don't remember exercising my overactive ability to edit myself at all, and I feel an urgency for the truth to prevail. It doesn't matter if [my] lyrics are biting or going piss people off -- I have to write what I'm feeling right now because I have this little guy who's looking at me, and asking the question, "What kind of world is awaiting me?" and that was really what propelled my record.
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