The '70s guitar music now known as classic rock wasn't born classic. It became classic through a combination of radio marketing--the classic-rock-station label was born in 1983--and the happy associations formed by its mostly white, middle-class boomer listeners. These associations are so culturally pervasive that hearing, say, American Woman, spurs memories of road trips, sun-baked convertibles and pull-tab Schlitz, even among people too young to drink.
Sheryl Crow's decision to make her fourth album, C'Mon, C'Mon, a paean to classic rock fits her career arc perfectly. Since her debut, Crow has deftly projected herself as a world-weary girl who likes...
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