For Sheryl Crow, the title of her seventh album 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.
Crow explains that the way 100 Miles From Memphis was recorded is crucial to its slinky grooves and rolling rhythms. Produced by Doyle Bramhall II and Justin Stanley ("I knew they could get that old soul feeling with authenticity," she says), and cut mostly live with a regular crew of musicians, the album presented a new set of challenges for her as a singer and a songwriter.
With the musical direction already established, the album's messages crystallized in one night at Crow's farm, outside of Nashville. "Having a three year old, you don't get too much quiet time," she says, "but I sat up one night, and I worked all night long and came up with the better part of five lyrics."
What emerged was a set of songs that are unusually open and direct for someone often celebrated for the care and craft of her writing. "This music called for emotion, a place of sensuality and sexuality, and that's a little challenging for me," she says. "Sometimes it's easier for me to hide behind more intellectual lyrics. So it was a great stretching experience to show more vulnerability in my writing."
The songs on 100 Miles From Memphis display impressive range, in feeling and performance. First single "Summer Day" is a delightfully breezy slice of glory-days AM radio pop. "I wanted to experiment with writing something simple and positive," says Crow. "The feeling of a great, solid love, not just a new love, but something everlasting."
Crow, of course, first reached the spotlight as a back-up singer with Michael Jackson, and adds that "I Want You Back" was the first single she ever bought. "It wasn't a conscious choice to do an homage, but it wound up being a very bittersweet thing," she says. "Michael's death brought a lot of stuff back for me, so it was nice that we could include this."
For Sheryl Crow, 100 Miles From Memphis is the right album at the right moment. "My last record (2008's Detours) was pretty political, extremely personal, and more lyric-driven," she says, "so it seemed like a great time to do something soulful and sexy and more driven by the music." It took a lot of years, but with this set of songs, she finally made it back home.
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It’s spring! As we celebrate the start of the baseball season, the end of the basketball season and the release of 
Thursday 14th July we are glad to present to you three queens of jazz, Sing The Truth: Angelique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves & Lizz Wright continue the legacies of Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln and Odetta. The women will follow a performance by Jef Neve and his Trio, who have become the favorite of the crowd. Gent Jazz Festival will be opened by the winner of Young Jazz Talent Gent 2010, the Nathan Daems Quintet. It will be the start of a great festival day which will be headlined by an artist that festival director Bertrand Flamang dreamt of programming 10 years ago. For the 9th of July we previously announced BB King and Steven De Bruyn, Tony Gyselinck & Roland and they will be accompanied by gospel and blues diva Mavis Staples.
The first words on the record uttered by frontwoman Natalie Felker are “Arise, great warrior / inside you’re a destroyer / by the time we see the sun / you’re already on the run.” Delivered in her husky voice with its distinct and seductive tone, she paints a mystical, dreamlike picture. Alongside Natalie’s radiant vocals and shimmering keys, guitarist Ben Felker, bassist Michael Campbell and drummer Mat Herron create hypnotic atmospheres in each song that stomp and crash toward epic climaxes.
Talk about a kool struttin' and soul funkin' sound. 
DSO charges 'Into The Sun' in April starting out at Irving Plaza in NY on April 29th by celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead's final Fillmore East performance. To mark this occasion we will recreate the 4/29/71 show in its entirety. This monster show has been released as "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Grateful Dead" and was the last time that Bill Graham Presented the Dead at the Fillmore. After that epic kick-off we will drop into venues all over the northeast including The Electric Factory in Philly, a first time gig at The Oneonta Theatre in Oneonta, NY, Hampton Casino Ballroom, a rare 'Acoustic' show on 5/15 at the Flying Monkey, a tour closing two-nights at Mighty High Mountain Fest and more! 
Southbound With Four Winds To Follow
On an important side note - Haiti still needs a lot of help and what better way to raise awareness than by supporting a book about it's culture and religion by renowned photographer/photojournalist