Sheryl Crow’s gone country. That’s the line on Feels Like Home, the popular singersongwriter’s eighth studio album. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Crow moved to Nashville a decade ago and now counts some of the genre’s biggest stars among her friends and neighbors. And country is as hot as ever at the cash register.

So if there’s a perfect moment for a full excursion into twang territory, it’s now. But can she pull it off?

Totally. This album feels like an entirely natural progression for Crow. And it’s not really that big of a stretch, anyway. She’s always had a love for country, and its influence could often be spotted in her work. Here, it simply rises to the surface. And there’s plenty of twangy country guitar throughout.

“Shotgun,” a paean to carefree spirits and back roads, kicks things off in fine rollicking style. “We Oughta Be Drinkin’” takes a classic country theme for a weeknight bar-hopping stroll. “Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely” bears the hallmarks of the standard big-time country radio hit, yet Crow’s vocal delivery and vibe is so spot-on it sells the number in mere seconds. Add the rousing chorus and we’re talking a true earworm.

Ultimately, this really does feel like home for Sheryl. Welcome, friend.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s January ’14 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.