Detours.

"It's about being forced to wake up" is how Sheryl Crow describes her latest collection, Detours. Working with the Tuesday Night Music Club production team for the first time since the multi-million selling, multi-Grammy winning album of the same name. Sheryl has lots to write about, including breast cancer, a very public breakup with friend-of-W's Lance Armstrong, the adoption of her a baby boy, the Karl Rove incident, among other things. Like Lenny Kravitz and Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl remains an under-celebrated artist mostly because she is (too) smart and (too) sexy and is not afraid of being smart and sexy. Her song, still one of her best, My Favorite Mistake, is about her apparent one night stand with God, who we all know is Eric Clapton. Songs like that and others she has written about abortion and politics, are what get your albums banned at the largest music retailer in the US, Wal-Mart. Yet that does not stop her from writing about the war and becoming a new mom all at the same time. I don't know if she's ever been as vulnerable as she is on the title track, Detours. I feel like I've been on a bit of a detour myself and this song spoke to me and I'm grateful for it as it's forced me to wake up myself. Another standout track is Shine Over Babylon, a look at the world through Sheryl's eyes. If you've liked Sheryl before, this album will not disappoint you as filled with hope and maturity and introspection and even a lullaby.