|
|
 |
| The renowned singer performs songs made famous by Dusty Springfield. Anyone Who Had A Heart, The Look Of Love, I Only Want To Be With You, more. |
|
|
|
| 1 Just a Little Lovin' |
|
|
| 2 Anyone Who Had a Heart |
|
|
| 3 You Don't Have to Say You Love Me |
|
|
| 4 I Only Want to Be with You |
|
|
| 5 The Look of Love |
|
|
| 6 Breakfast in Bed |
|
|
| 7 Willie and Laura Mae Jones |
|
|
| 8 I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore |
|
|
| 9 Pretend |
|
|
| 10 How Can I Be Sure |
|
|
Album Review
Shelby Lynne's first record in two-and-a-half years is a complete changeup. Lynne has followed her own restless, sometimes reckless, but always adventurous muse for most of her career -- and especially since she released the seminal, "I Am Shelby Lynne" -- a record she won a Grammy for as "Best New Artist" despite having made five full-lengths previously. On her last outing, "Suit Yourself", released in May of 2005, the iconic and mercurial Lynne wrote or co-wrote ten of the twelve tunes on the CD. It was a loose, relaxed set that took no prisoners, moving through country, swamp rock, blues, and ballads. "Just a Little Lovin'" is a mirror image of sorts. Lynne wrote only one tune here -- the entire record is an homage to the late Dusty Springfield. Nine of its ten cuts are inextricably linked with the legendary British vocalist. Lynne came under the sway of Springfield's work some years ago, and it was Barry Manilow, of all people, who suggested she cut a record like this one after a discussion of Springfield's work with Lynne.
Perhaps the first thing to make the listener aware of is that Lynne makes no attempt to sound like her subject. She is a singer with her own phrasing, manner of articulation, and sense of rhythm. Therefore, her choice of material is one that best represents the singer's diversity. Four cuts that appear here come from the "Dusty in Memphis" period, as well as the title track to "The Look of Love" and some of her mid-'60s hits from Great Britain that were not originally released in America, like the single version of the Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure." But all of these tracks, with the exception of the self-penned "Pretend," were graced by the voice of Springfield. This was a daunting task. And one Lynne took seriously. Recorded in the Capitol Records Studio with Frank Sinatra's legendary microphone as well as the equally legendary producer Phil Ramone, Lynne knew what to leave out as well as what to include. While most singers will automatically shoot for "Son Of A Preacher Man," Lynne steers clear, knowing it's one of those tunes that should never be covered again. She does, however, tackle "Just A Little Lovin'," "Breakfast In Bed," "Willie And Laura Mae Jones," and "I Don'T Want To Hear It Anymore," from the "Dusty in Memphis" set.
Lynne's versions of these songs are closer, steamier perhaps, and are deeply intimate versions. They're understated while keeping their sensual feel. Ramone understood the strength in Lynne's phrasing from the word go. The band is small, with guitarist Dean Parks, Rob Mathes on keyboards, drummer Gregg Field, and bassist Kevin Axt (who plays upright as well as electric). Curt Bisquera guests on drums on two tracks. The "Southern" in Lynne's delivery doesn't carry these songs into the stratosphere, but it does take them deep into the belly of the listener. The taut, easy sensuality in her singing adds a different kind of depth and dimension to these tunes. When Lynne gets to the in-the-pocket feel of "Breakfast In Bed," written by Donnie Fritts and the late, great Eddie Hinton, she comes toward the tune's subject not so much with innocent empathy and tenderness as with a much rawer acknowledgement of what's needed, and without the trace of the vulnerable in Springfield's song. It's simply awesome. The electric piano and Parks' guitar playing give the singer plenty of room to move into that lyric and pull it out. "Willie And Laura Mae Jones," by Tony Joe White (who appeared on "Suit Yourself"), has got that rough, swampy, acoustic earthiness in it, and Lynne adds her guitar to the sparse, slow growl in Ramone's and engineer Al Schmitt's mix. This tune about interracial love was written by White and recorded by Springfield when the subject was taboo in America. Springfield made a song like this palatable, with that slight British accent and her incredible phrasing and delivery: if she was singing it, it
|
|
|
• Biography
|
Other albums by: Shelby Lynne |
|
|
more  |
|
