C&L’s Late Nite Music Club: Sheryl Crow – Evolution [Video]

Sheryl Crow is still capable of the same effortless cool that shot her to stardom in the ’90s, but she tackles headier subject matter on “Evolution,” a moody rocker about the dangers of artificial intelligence left unchecked. As a 30-year music industry veteran, Crow’s confusion and dismay over hearing “a song that sounded like something I wrote” on the radio ring especially poignant. A futuristic solo from Tom Morello drives home the point that some eccentricities can’t be manufactured.

“Stephen Hawking worried that A.I. would replace humans,” Crow said in a press release. “As a mom, I want to leave a better world for my children, a healthier planet – is A.I. going to be a benevolent partner in these goals or not? It’s unsettling, and this song deals with those anxieties.”