Why, my goodness, love Sheryl Crow? How can you do it to your wives? ...Well, there may be some explanation.

Maybe not every song on her albums is of Mozart quality... but come on, it can be said about any artist. Oh, except Mozart. Maybe she´s been playing the same simple style all the way long, which is the same simple style that was hip in the 70´s USA... but you can have a sexier Dylan (if you´ve ever admitted there is something about him, plus you have the sheryl sexual orientation) with added melodic value - Eagles, Clapton, Fleetwood Mac packaged & updated. You can have catchy hooks and choruses Dylan would never spoil you with. And to persuade the most cynical critics: she can really sing damn well, not to mention her instrumental abilities and creativity. Any of her concert DVD´s can easily prove her many talents, of which the singing shines most. All are fun and top performing quality, however, I prepared a short list to compare their strong points. Note: I do not cover here things like the Very Best video collection - which is convenient for those who prefer visual versatility and for old MTV generation - or VH1 Behind the Music programme - which is a bit of tabloid character but contains interviews with Sheryl herself and e.g. Don Henley - these eye candies may be interesting but are not live renditions of her songs, so out of comparison. I saw the Central Park concert with Mr. Slowhand on TV too long ago, so haven´t included it here either.

* Very high quality, except one major mix imperfection: Peter Strout´s lead guitar is set too silent. The problem is, it represents an important melodic counterpart to the lead vocal and many songs rely heavily on Peter´s figures. One thing is sure but often overlooked - her band plays a significant role in everything she does; it goes especially for the most stable members Peter Strout, Tim Smith, Mike Rowe, and you can hear here how the familiar arrangements suffer when one element is suppressed. Has anyone apologized to you, Peter?

* There are all major hits till 1999 included, so first 3 albums are represented well. This was Sheryl hittig the bigger & bigger time.

* A minimal string section is a sweet but not inescapable complement. I guess a pretty violin player and a handsome cello player are there to attract more audiophiles.

* Sheryl Crow´s look is maybe the least appealing of all her image changes, since most men would prefer long hair, but there´s a nice moment with a kinda dramatic element (I mean sexy) when she is running her hands through hair with that out-of-control desperate, careless look in her eyes... I think many singers or actresses would not dare to shatter their hairstyle in public. And no mirror within reach to check the situation after the song ends!!!

* At the end the tambourine is being frisbeed among the band members. Not once it falls, nobody is hurt. As in latest concert videos, you can see how these guys are tight close and how true friendship supports the onstage output.

* This was obtained cheaply and is of poor visual quality, so I presume it´s a bootleg ripped down from TV broadcast. Further information reads ´At Music Fair Fuji TV & Pop Jam Music Cocktail 2002´. The sound quality is also not among the highest but passable. All the instruments are audible and well balanced.

* Sheryl´s and her band´s performance is flawless as usual. There could be more cheerful respond from audience perhaps; it would probably add more energy to the whole show. But the Japanese don´t usually go mad at concerts, do they? The singer communicates with them very respectfully and in general she looks more tender - even when singing the line ´I´m not the kind of girl you´d take home´ she smiles like an old friend at ease, innocent as a lamb (but twice as cute).

* Her look includes torn jeans (there´s also a leather vest on the cover), and it gets even more American on the last song Rock´n´roll, when she changes into a wild rock princess dancing on the piano with stripes & stars on her very talented body.

* It´s like The Best of... Live, except the first album hits. ´All I Wanna Do´ may be not all you wanna hear... But you get ´Strong Enough´ instead - and isn´t it strong enough?

* Oh my, you can´t get closer to perfection concerning sound and picture! Camera views are numerous and from various angles, so they capture very improbable close-ups, inner band communication, and all these details the present audience would not dream about. Ok, it´s not for everybody - some insist on watching one long shot of a fluent concert not interrupted by scenes of touring, stage soundchecks, dressing room relaxing and Sheryl talking. For those there are Rockin´ the Globe Live and Wildflower Tour, which can provide a better feel of ´really being at the live show´. Others appreciate this manifold of insights and lots of editing work, if not for anything else, then for better hold of their idol.

* The tracklist resembles the one at Budokan except that it is much more comprehensive. Many semi-acoustic songs stress the traditional American flavour - or should I write ´flavor´ - accordion included. Sheryl gets very feelingful and soulful on slower, melancholic numbers - the same can be said about each of these shows. The Led Zeppelin cover finishes the show again with Sheryl dancing on the grand piano barefoot. At first I thought it was supposed to be sexy, but now when I think of it, it could have been not to damage the top of an expensive instrument.

* This time it´s Peter´s turn to turn up with short haircut. All the band members show once again they are top professional musicians that never fail. Just wait long enough during any of these concerts and you will see Sheryl, Tim and Mike switch instruments, having Sheryl on bass, guitars or piano, the keyboardist Mike Rowe on bass, and the Englishman Tim Smith on rhythm guitar or bass. He always sings most of the harmonies with Sheryl, and the funny thing is he does the upper parts while she does lower ones!

* Do I need to say, that everything´s more than ok with the sonic and visual quality? They´re second best to real life. Wait, even better - if you get only the 70th row ticket.

* S. Crow claimed the Wildflower album has more artistic character. The reviewers were bursting with praise. It sounded to me like I was on a wrong planet! The album is not arty - I was disappointed from the first listen that it´s more commercial and the ideas are not so original, they´re rather something you might hear on FM radio at midday sung by any of latest starlets. They are mostly no match to her previous hits, nevertheless, the choices here are the finest and they sound better live. The Detours concerts must be even more satisfying, I believe, when such a thing comes out.

* She has a long straight hair, not wavy like at Budokan, and elegant white dress. She´s more now a kind of girl you would take home. To get some new visual impulses, watch the combination of her hair, wind and light during the song ´Letter to God´. As delightful as meant to be. The song ´It don´t hurt´ features Sheryl´s harmonica solo, as was the case with Detroit concert - another example that music comes first, not an image, since no woman can probably look hot while blowing harmonica... although, who knows, there are different kinds of men.

* Changing instruments is present again, yet not a note mistaken. A nice moment: Tim Smith rushes to the mike to be in time for the chorus of ´All I wanna do´. He managed and after singing a line he looks at his boss whether she noticed.

* Not just a symbolic violin section - this time something like 15-or-so piece ensemble! They accompany some tunes more than other, but when they do it´s an unexpected improvement that was worth the extra cost. The best thing there for me are the string figures that weren´t on album recordings, because Crow´s songs are usually no big change compared to studio versions - but it doesn´t apply to the first song ´Run Baby Run´ which is just a bit slower but impressive like never before - and everybody must have heard the song million plus one times before.

So this is how it is. You can break the disc but not the truth - Sheryl´s band is rocking and her musicianship is true. Other crows just envy.