Search - Shelby Lynne :: Suit Yourself

Singing with herself

David T. Steere, Jr. | Annapolis, MD United States | 05/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The title. SUIT YOURSELF, can mean a number of things. Yes, it can refer to selfishness. There may be a trace of vanity in this recording--especially when considering the two very odd numbers: the distinctly noisy and unpleasant opening, GO WITH IT, and the short and mystifying YOU AND WE. But, these two numbers amount to quibbles considering the quality of the rest of the cd. SUIT YOURSELF also refers to her ongoing search to avoid the pre-packaged and predictable and banal. In addition, the title also well describes the low-key, living room feel of many of the songs and the "caught in the middle of a rehearsal" sense of it all. That last use of SUIT YOURSELF is fairly important here. When listening, one gets a real sense of a work in progress and how such things are put together--i.e., getting the work to "suit yourself" (meaning Shelby, of course) and, in some cases, not finding the ideal solution. It feels spontaneous--partially an illusion, I know. Finally, of course, we are talking about the tough and tender Shelby Lynne, after all. It wouldn't be her if there weren't some strangeness, some wildness, and some lack of control. Fortunately, cigarettes and alcohol notwithstanding, her voice is as fine as ever--particularly intimate and moving on the many slow songs.



The two odd songs I mentioned above excepted, I like everything on this album. All of my favorites are quiet with minimal accompaniment but for a guitar, mandolin, dobro or piano. "Where Am I Now?, "Old Times Sake," "I Won't Die Alone," "Iced Tea," and "Sleep" are wonderful. When Shelby sings softly, she gets to me almost every time. Her smoky, delicate, twangy voice is irresistible on these numbers. Very simple and very moving. I liked but not loved "I Cry Everyday," "You're the Man" (an interesting take on her reaction to current events), "Johnny Met June" (maudlin but far from cliched), and "You Don't Have A Heart" (which echoes "If I Were Smart,"--that gorgeous number from IDENTITY CRISIS). Apparently, Shelby recorded the basic vocals in her living room and added much of the rest in the studio, including her own harmony work with herself. That often doesn't work but it does here. Shelby with Shelby with Shelby -- "suit yourself," again. The instrumental support is first rate and buoys this fusion of blues (a lot of blues), still a bit of R&B, and her alt-country sound. She's come a long way from commercial Nashville and good thing, too.



In case you thought I'd forgotten Track 12, no way! Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" is simply magnificent here. I wanted it to go on forever. Shelby's great singing, the jamming of her musicians. Wonderful! I left this album with that performance ringing in my head as was her moving words and sounds from "Sleep:"



SLEEP. PLEASE APPEAR.

SHOW TO ME YOUR FACE AND TELL ME IT'S OK TO REST.

SLEEP. HELP ME TRY."

A Nice Fit

Randy Remote | Laytonville, CA | 06/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Shelby Lynne's new CD builds on the unassuming honesty and elegance of her last release, "Identity Crisis", letting the solid songwriting and intimate vocals shine through. There is a quiet smoldering beneath the laid-back surface of her music that draws you in like a southern storm. A nice endpiece to the album is her sultry version of "Rainy Night In Georgia" (called "track 12" for some reason). Shelby's the real deal. If you liked "Identity Crisis", you will like this."

A Deserved Review Done One Year Late

HagFan | Uniontown, PA | 06/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've wondered why I have taken so long to write this review, and I think I have two legitimate reasons. First of all, when this album came out I honestly wasn't aware that you were permitted to review an album on Amazon, and secondly, I think I'm writing this because of my disappointment with Shelby's sister, Allison Moorer's latest release. Allison is a whole lot better than her new one shows, but that's for another time. We're here to talk about Shelby Lynne.



One of the earlier reviewers of this album asked in so many words,"Why hasn't someone told me about Shelby Lynne before this?" Well, I'm going to tell you why, at least in my opinion.Way back in 1989, Willie Nelson was making an appearance on one of the early morning talk shows, and there was a young girl with long brown hair sitting beside him on a stool, as Willie was. The interviewer was talking to Willie about his new album, and then proceeded to ask Willie who the beautiful young lady was sitting next to him. Willie said, "Well, this is Shelby Lynne, who has done a few songs with me, and I think has one of the best voices I'v heard come out of Nashville in quite a while. And she's going to sing one with me right now. They then sang one of my old favorites, "I Love You So Much It Hurts". To say the least Shelby blew me away. I went out and searched and searched for her album, and finally found it. It's called"Sunrise", and in some circles is very hard to find. Now, at this point of her career, Shelby Lynne was considered a "country" singer. And, that's what she was. You almost won't even recognize her on the cover of her first album. I'm serious.



What we weren't ready at that time for was all the changes that Shelby would go through in the next 17 years. regardless of what you've heard, please keep in mind that here's a young girl who had gone through probably the most devastating experience any young child could go through without just giving up on life itself. I'd prefer not to talk about it. If you don't know what I'm referring to I'll let you look into Shelby and Allison's past for yourself. It's that bad.



To try to express the talent that this young lady has I'm going to mention each and every title of all of her albums. Id like to do that, because I think that after you give a listen to "Suit Yourself", you're going to want more. And, please listen to "Suit Yourself" at least three or four times with an open mind before you really make up your mind. You're going to hear a voice that is so pure, raw, and real that you're going to say to yourself what the other young lady reviewer said. "Why hasn't anyone told me about Shelby Lynne before?" Being a fan for 17 yeaqrs, I'm going to tell why I think you don't know her. Shelby not only wants it that way, she likes it. She may come off as a little wild on the surface, but underneath is a very caring, quiet, private person, with one heck of a set of pipes. This girl can sing anything, and I mean anything. Starting with "Sunrise", you then have "Tough All Over, "Soft Talk", "Temptation"(a lot of torch type songs - getting a little away from the country roots), "Restless", "Love, Shelby(getting alittle into the rock vein), then the big change, "I Am Shelby Lynne". I'm going to stop here for a minute, because this album came out in 2000, and I'm hearing that Shelby has been nominated for a Grammy for best new artist! I'm saying what in the world are they talking about! She's been around for awile. Then, I find out that the Grammy people have nominated her in the best new Rock singer catagory. And, to top it all off, she wins! It turns out to be a great rock album. I'm shocked, but I say to myself, "Well, heck, it's a whole lot better than most of today's rock that I'm hearing!". Then comes her next two albums, "Identity Crisis"(why was I surprised by the title?), and the one I'm supposed to be reviewing, "Suit Yourself".



What I intended to say about this album has been said in a lot of different ways by the reviewers before me. I agree with almost all of the superlatives that everyone else bestowed on this artist. When you listen to this album, you're basically hearing it as it was being made. Personally, I love when an artist does that. They have the guts and confidence in the4ir ability to throw it out there at you, and if you like it, you do, and , if you don't, weel you don't. And, that's pretty much Shelby Lynne. What you hear is what you get. You're not going to get alot of backup singers that are there to simply attempt to coverup the lead singer's lack of talent that you get so much of in today's music, if you want to call it that. If you see Shelby, you're not going to have a gang of dancers behind her to distract from the talent that's not there. Because, believe me, with Shelby, the talent is there. If this girl wanted to be at the top of the charts, she'd be there. She doesn't care at all about that. She cares about ner fans and respects the integrity of what she does.



Lastly, I will tell you what tunes I think really stand out on "Suit Yourself". Actually the whole album is great, but in paricular, please listen to "Where Am I Now", I Cry Everyday", Old Times Sake", "I Won't Die Alone", Johnny Met Jane, "You Don't Have A Heart", "Iced Tea", and "Track 12"(which is actually Shelby's rendition of "Rainy Night In Georgia".



I've said a whole lot to bore you to death, but really, do yourself a favor. Give this girl a listen. She is one of the very best out there today. If you're waiting for her picture to be on the cover of the "Rolling Stone", you're going to be wasting alot of time. Thanks for your time, and sit back and enjoy!"