For Sheryl Crow, the title of her seventh album, 100 Miles From Memphis, isn't just a location; it's a state of mind. 'I grew up in a small town 100 miles from Memphis, and that informed not only my musical taste, but how I look at life,' she says. 'The drive to Memphis is all farmland, and everyone is community-oriented, God-fearing people, connected to the earth. The music that came out of that part of the world is a part of who I am, and it's the biggest inspiration for what I do and why I do it.'

So for the Kennett, Missouri native, calling the disc 100 Miles From Memphis is a statement of purpose, both musical and emotional. It also marks a long-awaited return by the nine-time Grammy winner to the sounds that first drew her to making music. The results evoke a time when soul and passion filled the radio waves, when the sweat and joy of a recording session could be captured forever on wax.

Sometimes the musical references - Al Green, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder - are made apparent, but the album's eleven songs are characterized more by capturing a classic spirit than by imitating any specific style.