Cover art for Sheryl Crow's 2026 record 'Pick You Up,' featuring visual artist Tyson Grumm's painting 'The Elephant Who Forgot the Ocean.' In the painting, an elephant stands at the prow of a rusty submarine in a dry dock, surrounded by penguins.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sheryl Crow is in a contemplative mood on her excellent new album Pick You Up, reflecting on life, love and the state of the world. Now 64, Crow’s writing and singing have never been better.

Crow co-wrote and co-produced the album with songwriter-guitarist-producer Jeff Trott, her longtime collaborator who has co-written some of her best-known songs. Trott plays a variety of guitars and keyboards on the record. There are also contributions from four members of her hot touring band The Real Lowdown: guitarist Audley Freed, drummer Fred Eltringham, keyboardist Jen Gunderman and bassist Robert Kearns.

The album opens with the melancholy “Freight Train,” a song about the isolation we all feel from time to time. Musically, the song gives a nod to 1970s Laurel Canyon country-rock, a sound that informs the record’s first four tracks. The final three songs feature pop-rock arrangements more akin to her hit-making sound of the 1990s.

On three of the tunes — “Perfect,” “Pick You Up” and “I’ve Got Your Number” — Crow addresses the dynamics of romantic relationships with vulnerability, honesty and maturity. On another trio of songs, she considers the world at large, and even though she doesn’t like what she sees, she remains hopeful. After noting on “Flat Earth” that “Mother Nature’s been patient / But now she’s had enough,” she sings on the chorus, “There’s gotta be a better way.” On “Heaven Help Us,” which was inspired by the L.A. wildfires in January 2025, she observes, “It’s so hard to believe / That from a burnt-out tree / A flower draws a bee / And life will keep on living.”

Crow channels John Lennon on the anthemic closer, “Freedom Bus.” The most overtly political song on the album, it features a sing-along chorus: “Whoever said freedom was free / There ain’t no freedom without history / And folks who died for you and me.” She’s joined on the track by Jesse Welles, who sings lead on the fourth verse and adds backing vocals throughout.

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