MILAN, Italy -- Pop singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow may be looking more like a

star these days, but she says looks have nothing to do with her image or her art.

Crow, who emerged on the music scene sporting a casual, latter-day-hippie look, says

she wants everyone to forget about her increasingly glamorous image and pay attention

to her songs.

"When I put out my second record [1996's Sheryl Crow], people seemed to be

stunned by my image change," said the 36-year-old Los Angeles-based musician, who

has just returned with her latest, The Globe Sessions. "I have answered more

questions about the artwork on that album than I did on the music."

Since her multimillion-selling debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, was

released in 1993, Crow has experienced the upside of fame as well as some of its

drawbacks, such as media and fans obsessing about her appearance.

Last week, while discussing her third album -- which debuts at #5 on the Billboard

200 albums chart this week -- Crow took some time to make clear that her music has

nothing to do with notions of "image."

"I'm not interested in the whole image thing," she said. "I think my music and my career

haven't been fashion-based at all. I've been quite lazy about it. I express myself through

my dresses or make-up just like everybody else does, but I happen to be in the public

eye."

Furthermore, Crow said she's not comfortable with making music videos. The one that

was made to promote

href="http://www.addict.com/music/Crow,_Sheryl/My_Favorite_Mistake.ram">"My

Favorite Mistake" (RealAudio excerpt), the current single from The Globe

Sessions, is no exception.

"You always meet with the director," Crow said, "and he's always enthusiastic, and

promises that it's going to be one thing, and most often, it turns out to be something else.

In the case of 'My Favorite Mistake,' it was intended to be shot on very old film. It was

going to feel old, and it doesn't really accomplish that.

"My main target was to have a video when you finally saw the storyteller telling the story

to the camera without any video effects, and that's what it is."

That fits the tone of The Globe Sessions, which offers a more introspective,

analytical side of Crow's personality. On the new album, Crow emphasizes heartfelt

storytelling with intimate tunes such as "The Difficult Kind" and

href="http://www.addict.com/music/Crow,_Sheryl/Crash_And_Burn.ram">"Crash and

Burn" (RealAudio excerpt).

Those songs are in marked contrast to such angry sentiments as the ones expressed in

"Love is a Good Thing," from her previous album. That was the controversial song

containing the line, "Watch sister, watch out brother/ Watch out our children as they kill

each other/ With a gun they bought at Wal-Mart discount stores." After Crow refused to

change the Wal-Mart reference, the retail chain refused to sell the album, sparking some

controversy.

"I should've called [the new album] The Wal-Mart Sessions," Crow joked. "The

whole [Wal-Mart] story ended with the album selling a lot less, because in places like the

one where I grew up, you can only buy the records at Wal-Mart," explained Crow, whose

hometown is Kennett, Miss.

Representatives of Wal-Mart -- which was sued for allegedly selling a gun to a minor --

could not be reached for comment on the ban of Crow's album.

"I still believe that was the right thing to do -- not changing the lyrics," Crow said. "If you

make those choices you have to stick to your guns. I think it brought a lot of unhealthy

publicity for Wal-Mart. ... As an artist, you have to stand up for what you are creating."

The Wal-Mart ban apparently is not being applied to The Globe Sessions.

"I'm assuming they're selling it," Crow said. "[The ban] was only for the one album, and it

was only because there was [the reference to] Wal-Mart on it." Wal-Mart is stocking her

latest album; one store contacted Friday reported it had already sold out of its stock.

If nothing else, Crow said her time in the limelight has taught her how to deal with the

burdens of fame.

"There's not really a handbook on how to deal with overnight success," she said. "When

you get enough distance from seeing your name in the press and you get a sense of

humor about that, you realize that it doesn't have a lot to do with what you do in your

career.

"Maybe people read that stuff and believe it, but I keep my mind focused on the music,

sticking with what's important."