Detours
by Sheryl Crow
  • Record Label: A&M
  • Release Date: Feb 5, 2008
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 55
  3. Negative: 19 out of 55

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  1. MarkW.
    Feb 11, 2008
    4
    I like Sheryl Crow, but it sounds like her personal troubles have crippled her creativity. Most of the songs here latch on to one simple lyrical phrase and then just keep beating it to death. These songs are SO repetitive and simplistic! Peace Be Upon Us, Peace Be Upon Us, Peace Be Upon Us... ad infinitum. OK, OK, Sheryl, we get it! Move on!
  2. BrandonS.
    Feb 13, 2008
    6
    Mediocre. A lot of groan-inducing lyrics. Wildflowers was a lot better. This album is most similar to "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon", but there are no lyrics that approach the brilliance of "My friend the communist..."
  3. RobbieC.
    Mar 11, 2008
    6
    It's actually all right! The songs "Love is Free" and "Shine Over Babylon" are great pop songs, and the latter half of the record has some interesting tunes too. The best she's done in probably 10 years... but still not as great.
  4. PhillipB.
    Feb 12, 2008
    6
    At 46, Crow is finally showing her age here -- not musically, but lyrically. "Detours" is full of adult concerns both personal (motherhood, cancer, lost romance) and societal (war, oil, politics). Lead single "Love is Free" has the carefree vibe of "Soak Up the Sun," but its subtext is the devastation of New Orleans. Sometimes, the grown-up lyrical approach works well and other times it At 46, Crow is finally showing her age here -- not musically, but lyrically. "Detours" is full of adult concerns both personal (motherhood, cancer, lost romance) and societal (war, oil, politics). Lead single "Love is Free" has the carefree vibe of "Soak Up the Sun," but its subtext is the devastation of New Orleans. Sometimes, the grown-up lyrical approach works well and other times it falls very flat ("Gasoline" may well be the worst song she's written), resulting in an uneven album of peaks and valleys. That said, it's still infinitely preferable to see an artist acting her age rather than trying to hang onto the lost youth of a pop star past.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Discussed Album of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. AllMusic
    90
    Crow hasn't been this free or fine since "Sheryl Crow," but there is an emotional directness on Detours that makes this a progression, not a retreat.
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  2. Amazon.com
    80
    There's not a groan-worthy song on this standout rock/pop/folk/blues album.
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  3. Billboard
    80
    The roots-rock of Detours is old-school-sounding Crow now with a heightened consciousness of the world around her.
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