100 Miles from Memphis
- Sheryl Crow
- A&M
Its title to the contrary, Crow's latest sounds better the closer it gets to Memphis. Give her a soul-spiked groove like the one bubbling beneath Our Love Is Fading, and Crow's sly, bluesy phrasing makes the most of the Stax-style rhythm guitar and thumping Hi Records drums. Things work even better when she brings in Justin Timberlake for a slinky remake of Terence Trent D'Arby's Sign Your Name Across My Heart, and it's hard not to love the funky reggae of Eye to Eye (particularly with Keith Richards skanking in the background). It's only when the groove thins out and the music becomes more melody-driven that things get a bit bland.