Sunday, April 06, 2008
A+E, Music, Reviews

Shelby Lynne

“Just a Little Lovin’” (Lost Highway)

Push play on Shelby Lynne’s tribute to Dusty Springfield and the soft, calming heartbeat of a lone drum played with brushes introduces the laid-back proceedings. It’s a fitting lead into an album that stays nestled in a warm, cushy blanket of sound, enveloping the listener like the smell of coffee on a lazy Sunday morning.
   
Instead of opting for the lush, often over-the-top arrangements that characterized (some might say burdened) the bulk of the late British soul/pop singer’s work, Lynne and legendary producer Phil Ramone strip away all excess, leaving a hint of percussion, gauzy guitars, floating pianos and Lynne’s velvety vocals to carry the load. It’s a unique, even dynamic approach that sets a sumptuous groove with the plush opening title track and stays ensconced there. Lynne tears down the bravado of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” to its essence, singing the first verse a cappella until Dean Parks’ acoustic guitar lays down a soft bed for the remainder.
    
Tony Joe White’s “Willie and Laura Mae Jones” is the closest the set gets to typical Lynne fare (she covered two of his compositions on her last album). She strums guitar and gets loose for the disc’s most rootsy track, but one that oddly fades out as she’s singing a verse, as if they ran out of tape during the take. Regardless, this is a lovely, loving and altogether too brief set that captures the essence of its subject while exploring another side to Lynne’s exceptional interpretive talents. 4 STARS—Hal Horowitz