Shelby Lynne for me occupies the same territory as Lucinda Williams, Wynonna Judd, Cassandra Wilson, Christine Collister and Bonnie Raitt; they sound nothing alike (okay, Shelby does sound a bit like early Bonnie Raitt), but they all share a sense of unfettered choice in their material. They are not to be pigeon-holed, yet the record labels insist on cramming them into something easily marketable.
Shelby's early albums were slick country affairs, and she finally rebelled, reassessed, and released "I Am Shelby Lynne", her 6th album which won her a Best New Artist Grammy -- go figure. A greatest hits collection "The Definitive Collection" (not), features 7 out of 10 tracks from "I Am...", and the songs they didn't pick are good too. Initially, I was put off by the album, until last week, listening again, I realized she was putting out her resume. What I took for a grab-bag of styles was essentially her way of showing the world "I can do ALL of these things -- country, blues, soul...I have more to offer than what you've heard from me before."
But that can come back and confuse the public. Everyone loved "I Am...", but her next album "Love, Shelby" went all slickety again. Good songs, but...huh? Shelby zigzagged like this for a while; later albums featured powerhouses like Bill Payne (Little Feat) and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty), but still asked the question "Where's the Shelby we all love?"
I mentioned in an earlier post that her Dusty Springfield tribute "Just a Little Lovin'" is totally excellent. She's lately slipped into a groove with her last 2 albums. "Thanks" (more accurately an EP than an album) is Southern gospel/soul, and "I Can't Imagine" is a back-porch version of the country/blues vibe encountered in "I Am..." -- but the songs are not quite as memorable to me. Production is excellent, but the songs don't quite measure up.
Still, she's producing herself, making her own choices, and I'm positive there's more great work from Shelby in the future.
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