Crow still rocks, but doesn't grow

Sheryl Crow\nC'mon, C'mon\nA&M/Interscope\nThese days, there are very few women who play straight-ahead rock and roll in the classic sense: melodic, guitar-based and riff-heavy, a la the Stones, Creedence, Neil Young and Tom Petty. Sheryl Crow is one of those few. Along with Liz Phair and a couple of others, Crow carries the torch that has in the past been borne by Ronnie Spector, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin and Chrissie Hynde. In a music world dominated by air-headed pop divas of questionable talent, at best, Crow provides a refreshing reminder that, yes, women can indeed rock.\nHowever, the best rock icons haven't simply rocked; they've developed and matured as artists and have given their audience different sounds throughout their careers. On C'mon, C'mon, Crow's fourth studio album and the first since 1998's The Globe Sessions, the singer-songwriter-guitarist doesn't display the type of growth that should be expected of the best rock stars. The album derives much of its inspiration from classic rock, the sometimes wonderful, sometimes schlocky genre of music that started in the late 1960s and developed throughout the '70s. In fact, C'mon, C'mon features guest appearances by such classic rock standard-bearers as Stevie Nicks and Don Henley, as well as visits from more contemporary stars like Phair, Lenny Kravitz and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines. And that can be a good thing, but only to a certain extent. \nWhile the album does display some token ventures into modern production techniques and instrumentation, in general C'mon, C'mon remains stuck in the past. That's not to say it's not a good record. C'mon, C'mon is certainly on a par with her previous efforts, and it's miles ahead of 90 percent of the pop-music market. The best tracks are the leadoff, "Steve McQueen," which establishes a solid groove from the get-go, and the plaintive, wistful title track, which features Crow's best singing and songwriting.\nHopefully, Crow will eventually move beyond such ho-hum influences as the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac and start to carve out her own special niche in rock and roll history. That doesn't happen on C'mon, C'mon.\n

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