Crow set for country debut (Updated January 30, 2013)

Saying Sheryl Crow has "gone country" isn't exactly fair to the songstress, who got her feet wet in Nashville quite some time ago. Her 2002 duet with Kid Rock, "Picture," was nominated for Vocal Event of the Year at the County Music association awards. Roughly around the same time, Crow was featured on the Johnny Cash album "American III: Solitary Man."

And if the "Man in Black" isn't country enough for you, then what is?

That's why it comes as little surprise that Crow plowed into 2013 with an announcement she would release a country album on the Warner Music Nashville label. She appeared on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Show on January 24 to debut the lead single, "Easy," which features pedal steel accents and other cosmetic changes for a more overtly country sound, but doesn't make any drastic changes to Crow's style of music.

The same week all this was going on, Crow signed up to mentor country star Blake Shelton's team of hopefuls on NBC's singing competition "The Voice." The Grammy-winning singer will be featured helping contestants perfect their performance when the fourth season begins March 25. As a mentor, she steps into a roll previously held by Reba McEntire and Shelton's wife Miranda Lambert.

Through all the excitement, the artist known for such hits as "Soak Up the Sun" and "The First Cut of the Deepest" continues to tour. She has dates with Holly Williams booked through February. Not surprisingly, a fairgrounds act has also appeared on her calendar. She'll play alongside country crooners Dustin Lynch and the Eli Young Band at the Sunnyview Fairgrounds and Expo Center on June 26.

About Sheryl Crow

Rarely in the musical universe has a solo artist embraced and been embraced by such a variety of influences and styles as Singer/Songwriter Sheryl Crow. Folk, Roots, Country, Alt, Pop and a melodic musical melting pot of all of those and more have given Crow a signature style that is all her own and immediately distinguishable from her many imitators. At first hesitant to jump into her musical life, Sheryl hit the ground running with her astonishing debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, and now, several Grammys and millions of records later, Sheryl Crow hasn't broke her musical stride as she gracefully expands her work, painting her emotionally honest and disarmingly seductive melodies on an increasingly larger, more diverse and universal musical canvass. Grab your Sheryl Crow tickets now to watch her live!