lambchops's Full Review: Suit Yourself by Shelby Lynne
Despite her Grammy recognition as 2000’s Best New Artist, Shelby Lynne has been around for quite some time making her own eclectic brand of music. She dabbled in contemporary country, jazz, roots rock, blues, and pop as she sought to find her personal niche. Between 1989 and 1995, the singer/songwriter released five albums none of which was well regarded by critics.
However, of 2000’s I Am Shelby Lynne something clicked. Her many influences came together under one newly reinvented persona. She was comfortable and rich, emotional and warm. While it is true that Shelby Lynne was still hard to classify (and for that matter market), it suddenly became apparent that none of those labels mattered. She had an audience in fans of pop, blues, country, rock, and the all-encompassing “adult contemporary” genres. The album highlighted her talent, ease, and expressiveness. More impressive still was that while she draws clear influence from a variety of genres, none of it is tires. I Am Shelby Lynne was a fresh and classy release.
Returning in 2001, Shelby Lynne released her seventh album. Love, Shelby wasn’t as well received and earned mixed reviews and tepid sales. Fortunately 2003’s Identity Crisis cleared up any confusion that she succumbed to the deadly Best New Artist curse. Once again combining a variety of kinds of music, it reached out to a variety of listeners. Folk, psychedelic pop/rock, roots rock, and contemporary country are all well represented but the real art of the album is in Shelby Lynne’s ability to meld these sounds without traipsing around over-trodden territory. It seemed as if she actually stumbled upon her identity on the ironically titled Identity Crisis.
Suit Yourself (2005) doesn’t try to accomplish anything extraordinary or unusual. It is a relaxed, easy, wistful, emotional, and intimate album. Shelby Lynne clearly has an ear for great music. She can write it, perform it, and in the end produce it beautifully. Suit Yourself is another step in the right direction for an artist whose had more than her fair share of career ebbs and flows. It makes me feel good at the same time it is relaxing and poignant. Fans of Shelby Lynne will be impressed and the album should also please fans of blues, rock, and country (though country fans will want to listen with an open mind). Even for me, a vehement anti-country listener, this is a flawless, lovely, worthwhile and organic musical experience.
While all the songs on Suit Yourself are gems, there are some that are more precious than others. This is all a matter of personal preference, of course, so don’t mistakenly think only a few are worth hearing—this is a consistently good/great album. The quality of Suit Yourself is not immediately apparent as it takes a while to acquaint oneself with the subtleness of the album and the quaint quality of some of the songs. Album opener Go With It is an example of this. It stars with some idle chatter, discussion, and a mis-start before breaking into song proper. A mid-tempo, easy, blues-rocker it boasts a great chorus and memorable lyrics. It will almost certainly be released as a single.
My favorite moments however come slightly later on. Where Am I Now is a gentle folk song featuring little else than Shelby Lynne’s smoky voice and an acoustic guitar and occasional light keyboards. The fact that her lyrics and voice are so prominently featured is a boon to the track. It shows that she is indeed talented and can stand on just her craft and not rely in any way on instruments to fill the gaps. The song passes by in what seems like just a blink of my eye and flows cleanly into the bluesy I Cry Everyday.
As Suit Yourself moves along it hits many nerves. Old Times Sake is another lovely, low-key track. It, like Where Am I Now, is superbly resonant. I’m impressed by Shelby Lynne’s keen ability to write concise, classic, and comforting songs that will do something slightly different to every listener. Her words sound and read more like poetry than lyrics:
So one more time
For old times sake
Come and lay your head
On my chest
Please don’t throw
This moment away
We can forget the bad
And take the best
And if you don’t have
Nothing left to say
Let me hold you one more time
For old times sake
As far as the best sounding songs go, I Won’t Die Alone should be recognized. It’s got one of the more interesting bridges and some of the most interesting instrumentation. Oddly enough, Shelby Lynne sings in a flat manner reminiscent of a chant. In the context of this outstanding song it comes across as pleading and urgent. I Won’t Die Alone is easily one of my favorites. The brief, upbeat comment You and We is next. It is so short (less than a minute) I can’t completely sink my teeth into it but I can say it is appealing in a folk-rock sort of way. Johnny Met June is an ode to Johnny and June Carter Cash. Written on the day that Johnny Cash died, it is sung both about him and from his perspective. It’s simple, sad, genuine and optimistic at the same time and brings a tear to my eye. Shelby Lynne never speaks of death, only of Johnny meeting June under the stars. This will clearly be a song that will be often referenced when people speak of the high quality of Suit Yourself.
You Don’t Have a Heart is an upbeat radio-ready hit. It’s actually one of the most obvious choices because of its classic guitar and immediately satisfying hook. One thing that has to be mentioned about Suit Yourself is that it’s not overproduced—heck, it’s barely produced at all. This isn’t to say that things are fuzzy or chaotic; rather they feel free and speak honestly. Shelby Lynne’s songs are augmented by the guitars of Michael Ward (The Wallflowers) and the keyboards of Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker) among other blues/folk/country instruments like the pedal steel and mandolin. There is some light percussion also but by and large the strings, keys, and of course vocals are the most often utilized instruments.
Iced Tea is a simple arranged song with straightforward vocals and lyrics. However as Suit Yourself wraps up it is Track 12 that strikes the deepest chord. The only cover on this album, it is a deep and soulful rendition of Tony Joe White’s classic Rainy Night in Georgia. Shelby Lynne sings with great restraint and obvious reverence. The percussion here is some of the clearest of this entire album and paired with the pedal steel, acoustic guitar, harmonica, and her voice it comes across perfectly.
Suit Yourself is precisely the album that Shelby Lynne needed to release. It showcases her heart and songwriting with a distinctly personal touch. This is an enjoyable and immediately relatable album that will likely fit in most music collections. I love it for the blues, folk, and rock elements but others will enjoy the subtle country twang of the release. In all this is a memorable album that will earn Shelby Lynne further recognition for her talent. Do yourself a favor and pick up Suit Yourself when it hits shelves on May 24, 2005.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Go With It
02. Where Am I Now
03. I Cry Everyday
04. You’re The Man
05. Old Times Sake
06. I Won’t Die Alone
07. You And We
08. Johnny Met June
09. You Don’t Have a Heart
10. Iced Tea
11. Sleep
12. Track 12
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