Shelby Lynne prepares for a homecoming
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Shelby Lynne Channels Dusty
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I Am Shelby Lynne
1/25/2000 views: | reviews (1) 
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Length
Price
1
Your Lies
2:54
2
Leavin'
3:11
3
Life is Bad
3:17
4
Thought It Would Be Easier
3:53
5
Gotta Get Back
3:36
6
Why Can't You Be?
4:18
7
Lookin' Up
3:27
8
Dreamsome
4:12
9
Where I'm From
3:49
10
Black Light Blue
3:19
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.
Lynne and Bottrell went to Memphis to add strings with George Del Barrio and the Memphis strings. Del Barrio'' sensitivity and touch add a classic feeling to this album reflective of early Van Morrison.
"I wanted to make a whole record that would last as a great piece of work. Something I loved. I even listened to this record and it feels good to me every time," says Lynne.
I Am Shelby Lynne is a landmark album by one of the purest voices in any genre of music.
The Annotated Shelby Lynne
Your Lies- "It was written about a relationship that had just ended. I always write from real experiences, never fantasy."
Leavin'- "I wrote this one a while ago. It's probably suitable for a lot of women and men in the world."
Life Is Bad- "This is a poem I wrote in ten minutes that just kind of fell on the paper. I remember not feeling much hope and pretty trapped when it came to me."
Easier- "It's a song about cheating, a busted love affair, told from a scorned women's point of view."
Gotta Get Back- "A pure, goofy, love song."
Why Can't You Be- "I think it's a good question. Why can't we just be?"
Lookin Up- "My sister and I decided as songwriters a while back that Hank Williams wrote "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" because he was. "Lookin Up" is real and sad to me because I felt like this when Bill Bottrell and I wrote the song."
Dreamsome- "It's about going to a place with your lover only the two of you know about."
Where I'm From- "I grew up in the country- the rural, hot and sticky South Alabama with 200 people. The closest city was Mobile. I knew nothing but pine trees, land, livestock, my little sister, my parents and music. I wanted to draw a picture of Alabama without showing a tourist brochure."
Black Light Blue- "This song came with the confusion of living. What is it about? It' s about the light in life we seek, is really a cloudy mess. There is only one explanation for this song, and it's your own, when you hear it. For me, it's just about how living hurts."
