Sheryl Crow, 62, Exits Retirement With a Grownup Album, ‘Evolution’

How does Evolution compare to your never-released 1992 album?

When I was a younger songwriter, I approached it like, “I’m going to follow the tradition of Mark Twain and John Steinbeck; I’m going to write third person and colorful characters.” Now every song is from my perspective, and I don’t masquerade it in literary trappings or traditions. I just write from a blank page and an open heart.

What changed?

It is a strange thing to have aged out of not only being popular but relevant. It does give me liberty to write whatever I want, knowing that it’s a cosmic thing if anybody lands on a song and feels a communal experience, as if it was written about them, or for them.

There’s a tasty aggression in “Broken Record” against people you call “tools.” Who are you addressing?

Do you want a list? After the Nashville shooting, just around the corner from my kids’ school, I reached out to quite a few country artists. I thought it would be a beautiful illustration for all of us as parents — no matter what side we station ourselves at — to come together and talk about reasonable and effective compromises, for everyone to still own guns but to have some protections. There was a massive backlash.

But you kept your cool, right?

I remember my mom saying, “It’s just as easy to be nice as it is to be a jerk.” In some ways, it’s more powerful to be a jerk these days because you get the ego stroke of whipping up your fan base with sheer fear and ugliness. Social media is a fantastic place to get your ego stroked. So I wrote a song about that. Some people will be shocked by that, probably the ones who find me offensive.

Does songwriting scare you?

I went through a period where I didn’t think I would finish anything. At this point, writing is like a salve for me. It’s like, “I got to get this out, figure out how to put down what I’m experiencing into a song form.” There’s something divine and magical about that. On the odd occasion, you get a song and you think, That is better than I am.

Do your sons connect with your music?

When they heard “Alarm Clock,” they were so here for it. When they heard “Broken Record,” they were, “No, Mom, you just can’t.”

What are the challenges of raising teen boys?

The worries they have are real, grownup stresses that we never thought about as kids. At 8, Wyatt asked me, “Would there be enough air for us to breathe if the forests went away?” We have hard conversations, and they know in our house there is nothing they cannot talk about.

How does tech complicate your job as a mom?

When I signed up to be a mom, as an older mom in particular, I vowed that I would do everything to protect my kids’ innocence and help them be children as long as possible. And it’s almost impossible as soon as they get a phone. As they want more freedoms, I become more of the police. They know I look at their phones. It’s not fun being in competition with a cellphone.

You’ve been engaged three times but never married. Is it still a possibility?

I would love to grow old with somebody I love that makes me laugh and that I make laugh — a great, healthy, loving relationship. But I don’t really care about marriage at this point. The greatest thing in my life has been raising those two boys. There is nothing I would not do or trade for their happiness.

Sheryl Crow, right, performs with Olivia Rodrigo at Bridgestone Arena on March 9, 2024 in Nashville.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA

Do you define success differently from when you started out?

When I moved to L.A., I literally used tips to pay my rent. I’m a successful businesswoman now — we don’t worry about food. But I quantify success so differently now. If you get through the day feeling like you get a do-over every single day, that feels more successful than owning anything. The blessing isn’t in giving, it’s in letting go. It’s almost foolproof. When you seek to bless someone else, you get blessed.

Do you have any nonmusic talents that impress your kids?

There was a time they were kind of impressed that I could twirl a baton. I’m pretty good at pool and Ping-Pong. They have friends whose moms may be younger, but they’re not boy moms. I will play tennis with them, get on the trampoline, ride horses or dirt bikes. They do think it’s impressive that I’m such a badass water-skier.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

“Look, just get through this period. It’s all going to make sense later on. Keep doing what you’re doing.”