It's understandable to be a little skeptical of Sheryl Crow these days. She seemingly shows up everywhere, playing, posing, dating, speaking out--you name it. In fact, given her current visibility she's in danger of damaging her down-home rep by inheriting Courtney Love's not-so-admirable crown of thorns for overexposure. Then she checks in with C'mon, C'mon and all those concerns disappear. It is, without a doubt, one of the best commercial rock albums of the year so far, and the sort of quality work that should dispel any skepticism about Crow's current hyper exposure.

Like its current look-on-the-bright-side single "Soak Up The Sun," C'mon, C'mon exudes feelgood vibes and pop romanticism. On the reverb-y "Diamond Road, she sings with rosy hope, "Wake up to the sound of waves, crashing on a brand-new day," while on the title cut, she takes heartbreak not with bitterness but nostalgia: "C'mon break my heart again, for old time's sake." Even the Telecaster riffs spread across the album, saturated with Stones, Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and Steve Miller-type tonalities, sound roll-the-windows-down fresh, textured with layers of acoustics, electrics, and mandolins. And while organic guitars dominate, Crow's voice soars across the mix like a shooting star, especially on the stunning outro to "Safe & Sound," in which she sounds almost diva-like. Wow. So, while questions may arise regarding Crow's intentions and her overt visibility, at least she has a fabulous outing like C'mon, C'mon to back her up.