cletta1201's Full Review: Love, Shelby by Shelby Lynne
Gone is the simplicity of I Am Shelby Lynne, the bad girl chanteuse is kicking down the country music barriers with her newest album Love, Shelby. Shelby Lynne wants to be famous and she wants it NOW DAMNIT! Enlisting the assistance of Glenn Ballard who is most famous for his work with Ms. Under Rug Swept herself Alanis Morissette - this album is 100 times different than IASL (I Am Shelby Lynne). Leaving virtually all traces of country behind, I could see how old fans of Lynne could possibly be disappointed with this album, but for me a newer fan, I think that it works. My one qualm however with the album is that it doesn’t have the barebones beauty of IASL, which takes away from Lynne’s talent.
Track Listing
1. Trust Me
2. Bend
3. Jesus On A Greyhound
4. Wall In Your Heart
5. Ain’t It The Truth
6. I Can’t Wait
7. Tarpoleon Napoleon
8. Killin’ Kind
9. All Of A Sudden You Disappeared
10. Mother
Trust Me is a song that I really like and it sounds to me like it could have been a song that was sung by Morissette so obviously the Ballard influence is present and heavy. Very guitar heavy and sounding kind of “rocky” – this would have been a good single if Lynn was trying to change her image. Bend is completely sexy. The song mixes elements of R&B, Rock and Pop so perfectly that it just kind of smacks you in the head. From Lynne breathlessly cooing for you to ”come over here” to the simple chorus ”bend just a little bit/ break just a little bit/ bend just a little bit/ oooh get rid of it baby/ bend just a little bit/ break just a little bit/ bend just a little bit/ and I won’t let you fall …” this one is my favorites and the one that most closely reminds me of IASL. If all of the Ballard tracks were this nice – this album would be amazing.
Jesus On A Greyhound is quite over-produced which is pretty much the theme for the album. There’s so much going on that the message about perhaps finding salvation on a Greyhound bus (which we all know is HIGHLY unlikely, because Jesus knows Greyhound sucks) is so heavy that the song begs for a more simple arrangement. I Can’t Wait sounds as if it could have used a little more production. When Lynne is singing without all the music backing her, she sounds like me singing in the shower (i.e. NOT GOOD). Wall In Your Heart isn’t bad at all. Not outstanding, but not bad either. Ballard backs off a little on the production and Shelby lets her inner bumpkin break through sounding especially twangy.
Ain’t It The Truth is just wrong. First things first: there are 7 songwriters listed on this song. I think that proves the old adage “too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the broth” or soup or fried clams – you get the point, there’s just too many different vibes. It also brings back the Sheryl Crow vibe in a big way, too bad this is terrible. Tarpoleon Napoleon brings back old Shelby for a jazz feel. I think that Lynne is an accomplished enough writer that this album would have been better if she had written more songs on her own, like this one. On this one there are strings, horns – not things I think you typically find in country music but it really works. Simple, jazzy, bluesy – GOOD.
Killin’ Kind was also featured on the soundtrack to Bridget Jones’ Diary and was obviously meant to be a single. I really like the layering of vocals on this song, Shelby’s along with her backup singers (who were not present on IASL). I respect that Shelby does the majority of her vocals all by herself and has a hand in the writing and composing of her work. It’s so rare for an artist to have those traits these days that as a consumer we should seek out those artist and support them. All Of A Sudden You Disappeared really has Shelby Lynne sounding again like Sheryl Crow’s long list stepsister. This time unlike with Ain’t It The Truth, she hits a homerun because this one is good.
Mother which was written by John Lennon sounds so strained. I would imagine (pun intended) that John Lennon would be a tough remake and I think Lynne should have left this one alone. One thing that I have to note about Lynne is that I don’t think that she has a particularly beautiful voice. I think where she excels is her range of emotion and inflection. Obviously, she doesn’t sound like nails on a chalkboard, but she never just blows you away with her ranger or ability.
This cd also has an interesting case and booklet. The case itself is small and has a slide out pocket on the front that if you’re interested contains a big poster of Lynn (YAY!!!! – that's a joke for those of you who can’t discern). Also worth mentioning for those who aren’t fans of shorter albums is that this one is just that with a running time of just under 40 minutes.
If You Like Shelby Lynne You Might Like: Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain, Faith Hill
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