Tuesday Night Music Club

After a completed album produced by Hugh Padgham was shelved, Sheryl Crow spent nearly a year meeting musicians every Tuesday at Bill Bottrell’s studio. The result was this debut. When ‘All I Wanna Do’ came drifting from car radios on the American West Coast, the sheer quality of its production was immediately captivating. I still remember that first impression vividly.

The album certainly draws on the singer-songwriter rock of the 1970s, but there is nothing easy or casual about the way it does so. Beautifully relaxed and intricately constructed, it lets you sink into a charming groove without tensing your shoulders. That apparent ease can make its achievement difficult to notice at first. Listen closely, though, and you begin to realise that every part has been carefully assembled and every detail deliberately placed.

There are nods to the fade-in and fade-out ideas of The Beatles, and an affection for their later records runs through the sound. The opening song establishes the landscape and leads you towards the album’s heart: Crow’s skill as a storyteller is another of its quiet pleasures.