[nithhysfusy]

Sheryl already has legitimate country roots, and a lot of her music is steeped in country. I don't think a move to a more overtly country sound would be done in a Jewel/trend-chasing kind of way. She lives in Nashville, she's been a guest on lots of country songs, she's collaborated with Emmylou Harris (multiple times), Ryan Adams, Loretta Lynn & Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill ... she can pull this off.

Also, I get the sense that she's embraced by the country community. She's not Jewel or Bon Jovi, waking up one day and saying, "Hey, I'm going to make a country record. Why not?" I think I remember reading a quote from her where she said that if/when she makes a more country-oriented record, she would be super, super serious about it and would not take the task lightly.