''100 Miles from Memphis'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
. It is her final release for
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
. The album was written and produced by Crow,
Doyle Bramhall II
Doyle Bramhall II (born December 24, 1968) is an American guitarist, producer and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall.
Early life
Bramhall was born ...
and
Justin Stanley
Justin Stanley is an Australian musician, producer and songwriter.
He has worked with an eclectic range of musicians including Beck, Prince, Jimmy Cliff, Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney and Snoop Dogg.
Some of the artists Stanley had produced, in ...
and features the musicians
Tommy Sims
Tommy Sims is an American bassist, songwriter, record producer and bandleader.
Music career
From 1987 to 1989 Sims was the bassist for the Christian rock band White Heart, which he left to become a studio musician and producer. During 1992 ...
and Chris Bruce. On this album she puts aside her country and pop-rock past in favor of a vintage
R&B and
Memphis soul
Memphis soul, also known as the Memphis sound, is the most prominent strain of Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn line ...
-inspired record. Although proficient on such instruments as bass, piano and guitar, Crow concentrates on singing throughout the album. The album includes the covers: Citizen Cope's "
Sideways
''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...
",
Terence Trent D'Arby
Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, ''Introducing the Hardlin ...
's 1988 hit, "
Sign Your Name
"Sign Your Name" is a song written and performed by Terence Trent D'Arby (now known as Sananda Maitreya), released as a single in December 1987.
Released on his 1987 album ''Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'', it was an ...
", and
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
's "
I Want You Back
"I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...
". This is the first of Crow's albums not to be nominated for any
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
(excluding Christmas and greatest hits releases).
Critical reception
''100 Miles from Memphis'' has received "generally favorable reviews" from 14 music critics, as
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
gave it 66 out of 100.
Knoxville.com calls the album "sonically impressive" and Crow's "most ambitious release so far", although not impressed with her voice, noticing a disconnection with the sound; they gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5.
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
also gave ''100 Miles'' a positive review, calling it a "mix of white soul, rock, and reggae" and praising the partnership between Crow and producer Doyle Bramhall II. The album is considered to be a nostalgic move for Crow, for a time when soul had an upbeat message. Crow's excitement is noticed throughout the record.
''Billboard'' magazine says "''100 Miles'' is a path Crow was certainly wise to tread", praising her celebratory mind frame and the joyous mood of lead single "Summer Day", as well as "Peaceful Feeling" and first track "Our Love is Fading".
' swagger is also noticed on the reggae field "Eye to Eye".
''Mojo Magazine'' finds Crow in a peaceful state of mind, after adopting her two sons, Wyatt Steve and newborn Levi James. At 48, she finally "returns to her roots". Mojo praises producers Doyle Bramhall II and Justin Stanley (
) in their pursuit of "shimmering Memphis sound" and calls ballads "Stop" and Crow's cover of "Sideways" two of her most "vulnerable and classy performances". The album is rated 4 out of 5 stars.
In the United States, ''100 Miles From Memphis'' entered the Billboard 200 at number #3 with first week sales of 55,000 copies. It is Crow's eighth top 10 album.