I shall be interested to see what happens with "Just A Little Lovin'", the new album from Shelby Lynne. Since she first emerged in 1988, the countryish end of the music business have wondered what exactly they could do with her manifest vocal talent and handsome appearance. She's duetted with George Jones, been put in hot pants by Glenn Ballard, fashioned as an alt.rock diva and even appeared in "I Walk The Line" as Johnny Cash's mother. Nothing has really taken.And now, at the suggestion of Barry Manilow, she has relaunched herself as a Dusty Springfield for today. Or at least she's recorded a load of songs made famous by Dusty, ditched the big arrangements and the bittersweet flourishes and done them as a bunch of deeply sad torch songs. I particularly like the pause in her version of "Just A Little Lovin'", which you can hear a taste of here.
Her 'I Am Shelby Lynne" album is a great piece of work
ReplyDeleteCan't see the point really, they seem perfectly well done just abit bland and souless, when you can get the Dusty originals for £3 from a garage why fork out for these tasteful but flat reworkings?
ReplyDeleteI agree w/ both the statements above. Loved her "I Am Shelby Lynne" and nothing she's done since has resonated with me.
ReplyDeleteThe tracks I heard from the sampler of Dusty songs are to stark for me to enjoy though her voice is fine. It left me disappointed.
While the follow-up to 'I Am Shelby Lynne' was a disaster, musically and career-wise, her two most recent albums before the Dusty tribute are worth checking out, especially the song 'Telephone'.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, this just in from the New York Times Magazine:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/magazine/13Lynne-t.html