Maybe Angels

The song Maybe Angels sounds like one of those tracks that get stuck in your head without warning. It’s not a strident anthem, but something that builds itself up through layers of clean guitar and a voice that seems to waver between confidence and doubt. The bass and drums provide a rhythm that doesn’t push forward but rather accompanies, as if each instrument knew exactly when to breathe. There’s a moment where Tchad Blake’s mixing — that producer known for organic sounds — makes the choruses sound like a heavenly choir, yet without tipping into grandiosity. It’s one of those pieces that, if you play it, you’ll end up humming it hours later without realizing.

Sheryl Crow recorded almost the entire album at Kingsway Studios in New Orleans, a place that already smelled of blues and humidity when she arrived. For this record, which bears her name, she stepped away from the collective that formed Tuesday Night Music Club and took charge of nearly everything: she wrote almost all the songs alone or with a single collaborator, and even handled the production herself. That’s evident in how Maybe Angels sounds: there are no layers of production hiding its essence, but rather every note seems to be there by its own volition. The song lasts 4 minutes and 54 seconds, just enough time for it not to drag or feel too short, as if every chord knew exactly when to end. The album sold over three million copies in the United States alone, and though it didn’t reach the records of her debut, it proved that Crow could reinvent herself without losing her voice.