Shelby Lynne: I Am Shelby Lynne on CD
I Am Shelby Lynne
Conventional CD, playable with all CD players and computer drives, but also with most SACD or multiplayers.
- Label:
- Mercury
- Year of recording ca.:
- 1999
- Item number:
- 3508619
- UPC/EAN:
- 0731454617727
- Release date:
- 25.1.2000
Other releases of I Am Shelby Lynne |
Price |
|---|---|
| LP, (25th Anniversary Edition) | EUR 39.99* |
Listen online
A decade ago, Shelby Lynne was living as the proverbial Nashville misfit. Highly talented, promising but hard to categorize, this young performer intent on fortifying her artistry, felt the constraints of the Nashville system. She did well, winning critical acclaim and the respect of all who heard her country-soul voice. She released a great (and ahead of its time) swing album, (Temptations, 1993) on the label Morgan Creek that went belly-up before the album could show its potential. "I was frustrated by the Nashville way of record-making," says Shelby. "I wanted to include more of my soul and pop influences." So she went back home to Alabama where she spent days writing songs and planning her next career move.
I Am Shelby Lynne is a knock-out, intimate, turbulent album, titled from a note written to Shelby's manager. Produced by Bill Bottrell, the 10-cut disc is a true rare find. Lynne has written some of her most beautiful melodies sketching narrative stories about pain, inner turmoil, lost love and injustice. "Every song is about my true feelings. Pain. Loneliness. Being cheated. Loss. This is a record about my acceptance of me," says Shelby.
The album kicks off with "Your Lies", a big Southern pop production reminiscent of Phil Spector, full of strings and indignant sadness. Then In a seamless move, "Leavin", a soulful and moving tribute to her R&B influences (the only tune written solo by Lynne) reminds us of what we all love about 70's soul music. Next, we are hit hard by the rockish, guitar driven "Life Is Bad", a heavy, Poe-ish poem Lynne says, "she wrote in ten minutes."
There are fluid, soul grooves on "Easier", "Gotta Get Back" and "Why Can't You Be" all updated takes on Memphis and Muscle Shoals that display her indebtedness to the passion of soul-queens like Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield. "Lookin' Up" is a fine example of what real traditional country songs should consist of, influenced by the great melodies written by Jimmy Webb (Wichita Lineman, Galveston). "Dreamsome" is a pop ballad that shows an almost vague, explosive example of the perfect love affair. "Where I'm From" is pure country-soul with sentimental Alabama homegirl pride, and the closer, "Black Light Blue" is a slow introspective and spooky number that shows us Shelby's jazzy ability and adoration for the Billie Holiday and Chet Baker days.
Reviews
M. Engelbrecht in Jazzthetik 2/00: "Des Pudels Kern ist, dass diese zehn Songs, die deutlich unter der alten 40-Minuten-Grenze für Langspielplatten liegen, weitaus mehr sind als die Summe ihrer Einflüsse, keine schwache Stelle haben, keinen überflüssigen Ton, dass sie famos arrangiert sind und alle Szeneneinstellungen meistern, vom Big-Band-Kostüm aus Philadelphia bis zur Flußfahrt am Fowl River."Disk 1 von 1 (CD)
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1 Your Lies
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2 Leavin'
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3 Life Is Bad
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4 Thought It Would Be Easier
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5 Gotta Get Back
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6 Why Can't You Be?
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7 Lookin' Up
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8 Dreamsome
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9 Where I'm From
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10 Black Light Blue
