The 'All I Wanna Do' hitmaker intended to stop making records following 2019's 'Threads', and although she still thinks it’s pointless in a streaming world, she is set to release the follow-up, 'Evolution', on Friday (29.03.24).
The collection is inspired by Peter Gabriel's song 'Digging in the Dirt' and features a cover of the 1992 hit, featuring the man himself, and nine other songs.
She told the May 2024 issue of Red magazine: “I still think [creating albums] is a waste of time and money! People don’t listen to records as a full body of work, but I had all these songs that felt very timely… So, I thought, ‘Okay, I’m not going to make a conventional album, thinking about the beginning, middle and end.’ Instead, it’s a compilation of new songs.’”
She talks to Kate Mossman about rejecting AI’s influence on music, speaking her mind on everything from harassment to film violence, and the lack of artists writing political songs
Sheryl Crow Team Up With Peter Gabriel in ‘Digging in the Dirt’
“Peter’s song is the one that started me on this whole process of making my new album,” Crow says in a statement.
The idea of self-examination to understand our wounds and flaws and how they affect our daily lives really resonated with me, because that process can lead to self-healing. But it can be messy, and it feels like digging in the dirt. Peter’s lyrics express that so beautifully, with this ridiculous groove driving underneath.”
She continues, “When he agreed to sing on my cover of ‘Digging in the Dirt,’ it just blew me away, and ironically, it ended up being the last song we finished for the album. It’s such an honor to have him perform on this song which really means so much to me, and there is nobody in the world who sings like Peter Gabriel.”
Sheryl Crow has shared the title track from her upcoming album Evolution, which arrives on March 29. The song was produced by Mike Elizondo and features a guitar solo by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
The 61-year old Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has announced 'Evolution,' a surprise album arriving in Mar. 2024
Crow made the announcement -- as well as debuted the album's lead single, "Alarm Clock" -- during a Nov. 2 appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
The singer has poured her thoughts about AI into a called 'Evolution' and Sheryl has admitted she penned the track because the she finds the use of AI in song creation "so disturbing".
During an appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', she explained: "'Evolution' ... is a song about AI, speaking about The Beatles, and it’s been so disturbing to me."
She went on to reveal she's witnessed AI being used by songwriters and it "really scared" her.
Sheryl added: "I did a session the other day and this young songwriter had this incredible song, but she needed a guy to sing on it so that she could pitch it to male singers in Nashville. Paid $5, put in John Mayer’s name, and she played it for me. There’s no way you could tell the difference and it just blew my mind. And it didn’t just sound like him, I mean, like his inflections ... [It] really scared [me].
"For me, art is like soul, it’s attached to the soul. So when you get into something that’s so much more advanced than our brains are at this point, it takes the soul out of it, you know, and it’s scary."
