"When he agreed to sing it just blew me away": Sheryl Crow releases cover of Peter Gabriel's Digging In The Dirt and he's on board

Sheryl Crow headshot
(Image credit: Dove Shore)

Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow has released a cover of Peter Gabriel's classic Digging In The Dirt, and the former Genesis man is on hand to provide some vocal backing. The track comes from Crow's upcoming 11th album, Evolution, which is released on March 29. Full tracklist below.

“Peter's song is the one that started me on this whole process of making my new album," says Crow. "It was the first song I brought to (album producer) Mike Elizondo. The idea of self-examination to understand our wounds and flaws and how they affect our daily lives really resonated with me, because that process can lead to self-healing. But it can be messy, and it feels like digging in the dirt. Peter’s lyrics express that so beautifully, with this ridiculous groove driving underneath. 

"When he agreed to sing on my cover of Digging In The Dirt, it just blew me away, and ironically, it ended up being the last song we finished for the album. It’s such an honor to have him perform on this song which really means so much to me, and there is nobody in the world who sings like Peter Gabriel”.

Digging In The Dirt originally appeared on Gabriel's 1992 album Us, and was written about the end of his relationship with actress Rosanna Arquette. The original featured Van der Graaf Generator's Peter Hammill and former Genesis and Peter Gabriel tour manager Richard Macphail on backing vocals. 

Sheryl Crow: Evolution tracklist

1. Alarm Clock
2. Digging In The Dirt (featuring Peter Gabriel)
3. Do It Again
4. Love Life
5. You Can’t Change The Weather
6. Evolution
7. Where?
8. Don’t Walk Away
9. Broken Record
10. Waiting In The Wings

Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.