Will The Mac regret letting Sheryl go?

[Phil]

I realise that what I'm about to say will make me less popluar than I already am but has anyone noticed how prominent Sheryl Crow has been in the public eye of late? Her profile has been noticeably high, culminating in her appearance at the Obama concert last week. I know some members of this forum have referred to her as being a media whore in the past but she is currently being recognised for her muscial talents as opposed to her celebrity.
I find all of this quite amusing considering the Mac have seemingly ditched her in favour of retaining the bigger, brighter lights for themselves. I don't imagine they're any more prepared to share the stage with her than they are the loot that will undoubtedly come their way this year. They have obviously underestimated her musical pedigree and the respect she commands within industry circles. Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Police and Eric Clapton are just a few to sing her praises of late and there has been no shortage of important television appearances recently - lead spots on Live At Abbey Road, Later With Jools Holland and the Hard Rock Festival have stood her in good stead. If only Stevie or The Mac could land such a spot at this stage of their career - who knows, it might even give them the impetus to actually produce something new?

I am one of the few who happen to appeciate Sheryl's talents and believe that she would have made an excellent contribution to both a new studio album with the Mac and the upcoming tour. She works extremely well with Stevie and demonstrated an insightful, sympathetic approach to the material she produced on Trouble In Shangri-La. Who knows what she could have done within the confines of The Mac? With Christine gone, an in-house keyboardist is sorely missed and she could have easily filled this void (I'm not comparing Sheryl and Christine here, just referring to the lack of piano on the "Say You Will" album). I also think she and Lindsey could have worked well together, if only he would surrender his ego in exchange for a meaningful collaboration and possibly unbounded creativity. What a shame...