The name Sheryl Crow takes action like a flock of birds: It might disappear for a while but there is always that instinct that it will return for yet another round. This is exactly how to portray Crow with the release of her newest album “Detours.”

The 14-track disc is the first original release of Crow’s since her 2005 “Wildflowers” and the two-year break that she took has certainly had its benefits. Just as her name was beginning to fade within households, Crow came back and she did so with a bang. Yet, though her already-existing fans seem to be staying faithful, it is obvious that she hasn’t been picking up a new generation of listeners.

“Detours” is an interesting follow-up album compared to previous Crow works in the way that it is definitely the most controversial. Her lyrics are quite politically focused. Usually when any musician releases an album where the focus in the lyrics is on world issues, it is a huge leap of faith that will either result in disaster or become a huge hit. This album, released on A&M records, is not in any way Crow’s best work.

“Detours” was a huge experiment for Crow. There seem to be three different types of tracks on the album: the Crow that is trying to recreate “All I Want To Do,” the acoustic coffeehouse Crow, and the Crow that is trying too hard. To sum it up, Crow was trying to find herself and failed miserably. This came as a shocker considering her huge success in the past and her long run in her musical career, but over the past two years of her absence, a lot has happened in the world of music and technology and Crow apparently missed out. For some reason, it sounds as if you can hear the fear of competition in her voice.

“Love is Free” will make listeners wonder why Crow decided to try the Mandy Moore bubblegum pop sound. Her voice sounds a bit whiny and the small bit of harmonics might as well be taken out.

Track one entitled “God Bless This Mess” is a great example of the acoustic coffeehouse Crow that should have never made it on the album when comparing it to the other tracks. This is not because it was bad, it is because it is perhaps the best track off of the entire album and the other 13 songs don’t do it justice. The bad transition between tracks one and two doesn’t help the situation of the rest of the album much either.

The other tracks on the album do not seem to have much variety excluding track four of “Peace Be Among Us” which included a jazzier upbeat tempo. All of the others sounded similar to one another, which sounded way too much like “All I Want To Do.”

Despite the fact that there is not much potential that “Detours” carries in the way for any awards, Crow is somehow back in the scene and seems to always have more on the way for her listeners to enjoy.

Sarah Kay Hannon can be reached at [email protected]