Whoa, is this CD good. With the exception of the Dave Matthews Band, I usually do not enjoy the "live recording". But, much like DMB, Sheryl gives new and wonderful interpretations of established hits like A Change Would Do You Good and Leaving Las Vegas and includes rocking and seemingly impromptu insrumental riffs. In short, it is well worth the price.

As anyone who saw this event when it was televised on FOX can attest to, many Sheryl hits that were performed live are not included on the CD. Songs like her most recent chart-topper, Anything But Down, and other hits like Can't Cry Anymore and Sweet Child O' Mine, were sacrificed in lieu of a Keith Richards duet, Happy, that frankly left me mildly perturbed. Granted, as one of the Central Park "friends", Richards almost had to be included. Yet, the absence of Anything But Down is compensated by the inclusion of If It Don't Hurt which, I'm told, was not even shown on the cable re-broadcast of the concert.

Nonetheless, the cd is remarkable and trancends the limits many other live cd's from established artists adhere to. Highlights include If It Makes You Happy and The Difficult Kind while the Clapton collaboration, White Room, remains a classic.

It's fun to watch an artist grow and bloom. Sheryl Crow's first CD, "Tuesday Night Music Club," released in 1993 was a nice effort that got her on the radio and the pop charts with some catchy tunes, but offered nothing special. But her second CD, the self-titled "Sheryl Crow" in 1996 showed that Sheryl was a woman and a musician to be reckoned with.

In 1999, Sheryl shared the stage with a diverse group of country and rock musicians, including music legends, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. "Sheryl Crow and Friends in Central Park," is great concert with, well friends. The music is tight and energetic, every one sounds like they really are having fun jamming together. Crow puts and edge in her live versions of "My Favorite Mistake" and "Leaving Las Vegas." The Dixie Chicks add some smooth vocals and country fiddle to "Strong Enough." Sheryl gets witchy with Stevie Nicks on "Gold Dust Woman." Listen up for some cool guitar licks and Stevie is still simply awesome.

It's good to hear the throaty vocals of Chrissie Hynde again; it's been too long. She joins in on "If It Makes You Happy," and a few other tracks. The party kicks up a notch with the Rolling Stones' standard, "Happy" with Keith Richards adding some blazing guitar. Not too many people can share a stage with Eric Clapton, nor contribute to an old Cream classic like "White Room," but the Clapton-Crow duet does it. Oh, and get ready for some more serious guitar. An all-star jam on Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" closes the show.

Those that attended the concert in Central Park were part of a great show. Outside of the thousands of New York fans screaming between songs, the live CD recording is studio quality. If you like any of these songs, you'll love the live covers. They are faithful to the originals with the added electricity of some famous friends jamming together.

It's fun to watch an artist grow and bloom. Sheryl Crow's first CD, "Tuesday Night Music Club," released in 1993 was a nice effort that got her on the radio and the pop charts with some catchy tunes, but offered nothing special. But her second CD, the self-titled "Sheryl Crow" in 1996 showed that Sheryl was a woman and a musician to be reckoned with.

In 1999, Sheryl shared the stage with a diverse group of country and rock musicians and music legends, Stevie Nick, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. "Sheryl Crow and Friends in Central Park," is great concert with, well friends. The music is tight and energetic, every one sounds like they really are having fun jamming together. Crow puts and edge in her live versions of "My Favorite Mistake" and "Leaving Las Vegas." The Dixie Chicks add some smooth vocals and country fiddle to "Strong Enough." Sheryl gets witchy with Stevie Nicks on "Gold Dust Woman." Listen up for some cool guitar licks and Stevie is still simply awesome.

It's good to hear the throaty vocals of Chrissie Hynde again; it's been too long. She joins in on "If It Makes You Happy," and a few other tracks. The party kicks up a notch with the Rolling Stones' standard, "Happy" with Keith Richards adding some blazing guitar. Not too many people can share a stage with Eric Clapton, nor contribute to an old Cream classic like "White Room," but the Clapton-Crow duet does it. Oh, and get ready for some more serious guitar. An all-star jam on Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" closes the show.

Those that attended the concert in Central Park were part of a great show. Outside of the thousands of New York fans screaming between songs, the live CD recording is studio quality. If you like any of these songs, you'll love the live covers. They are faithful to the originals with the added electricity of some famous friends jamming together.

Wow! This is Sheryl Crow's best album by far, and it's not just the allstar cast that does it. The sound of the rythmn section is absolutely incredible on this CD. Of the songs that are hers, you will have a hard time finding a studio recording that sounds better. Crow also interacts with the audience in such a way that you know that she and everyone there are enjoying themselves. This is a true treat for Sherly Crow fans. Here are my thoughts on a few of the tracks.

1. Everyday Is A Winding Road - This is one of my favorites from Crow, and it doesn't take long for the rythmn section to shine.

4. Strong Enough - The Dixie Chicks are not one of my favorite bands so I wasn't very receptive to this at first. However, the more I heard it, the more it grew on me. The addition of violins to the song gives it something extra.

7. Gold Dust Woman - This track is really about Stevie Nicks and what a great vocalist she still is; however, Crow holds her own with someone who's been doing it for quite some time.

11. The Difficult Kind - Lilith Fair revisited. Sarah McLachlan's voice really adds a new dimension to this song. McLachlan and Crow harmonize well together, and hopefully this won't be the last recording where they do.

12. White Room - True greatness. Crow lends her vocals to go with a dead on solo from Eric Clapton.

If you've ever had the privilage to see a Sheryl concert you realize that the studio works are fine, but she gives so much more passion to playing LIVE. This really captures and projects the fun! It is well worth having an album of repeat works. Hearing the joint jams with other legends in music makes you realize her place in the history books. If you love Sheryl, you'll love this.