1 Go With It
2 Where Am I Now
3 I Cry Everyday
4 You're The Man
5 Old Times Sake
6 I Won't Die Alone
7 You And Me
8 Johnny Met June
9 You Don't Have A Heart
10 Iced Tea
11 Sleep
12 Track 12

From Amazon.com

Another great Shelby Lynne cd. What else would you expect?

 Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Authentic, impossible to characterize (she isn't country, nor is she blues or rock), cool, sometimes jazzy but not jazz, sometimes raw and always honest, Shelby Lynne is a unique talent. I must admit that I don't listen to the radio nor do I read Billboard. Accordingly, I have no idea whether the recognition that comes from winning a Grammy has led to popularity and financial success. I hope it has. In a world full of money-making and talentless hacks this is one talented lady who really deserves commercial success.

This entire cd has a laidback, home-grown feel. The material is uniformly strong. Johnny Met June and Rainy Night in Georgia are particularly strong. The supporting musicians are first rate but never intrude. If you know Shelby Lynne then I am preaching to the converted. If you don't and are considering buying this cd do it now. Then pick up I am Shelby Lynne and the lovely Just a Little Lovin'.

Buy This CD For The Last Song

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: This is a nice self-produced CD by a great, great singer and better than usual songwriter. The true gem here is the last song, simply and a bit confusingly listed as "Track 12." What we find is a sublime, gorgeous version of Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night In Georgia" (made popular in the early 70's by Brook Benton). And who is among the great guitarists playing on this languid, understated arrangement? Tony Joe White himself. Shelby's laid-back, knock-out vocal tops it all off. Go to the CD store as quickly as you can and shelve this in your collection under "Classic."

Return to musicality

 Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: After her angry, almost depressing last couple of albums like "Identity Crisis," Shelby comes out swinging with a still very personal plaint but with far more musicality and good listening than we've heard in a long while. The music is closer to her own roots and is such a refreshing departure from so much of the whining, overproduced crap in country music right now. Shelby's voice is in great shape too, vibrant and strong, like the music itself.

Shelby Lynne - an authentic voice

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Here's what happened: I typed in Tony Joe White on Youtube and video links I got included Shelby Lynne - a singer I'd never heard of. The video clip of I Won't Die Alone was shot by someone at what appeared to be a record company event. What immediately struck me was Shelby Lynne's stripped down emotional authenticity. That and a fine composition, vocals that spoke of experience, and mean musicianship

So, onto Amazon to order her latest album, Suit Yourself, from which the track on the video was taken. Two weeks wait for the mail to arrive is as instant the gratification gets when you live at the bottom of Africa - but it was worth the wait. As with any album, there are the stand-out tracks but none that you would prefer not to be part of the selection at all. The ditty, Me, Myself and I, is album-filler kind of material though it probably has some specific significance to Shelby herself - but let's talk about the tracks that keep me playing this album over and over...

Where Am I Now, I Cry Every Day, I Won't Die Alone, Sleep - each of these are songs of experience that convey the emotional authenticity already referred to. Shelby Lynne adds her unique melodic touch to a folk-style approach that is tinged with country and some amazing pedal steel guitar, though I Cry Every Day has an R&B feel that many artists in that field could take lessons from in terms of musical economy. That same economy applies to the hard rocking opening track, Go With It.

Then there's Track 12. And this is where we get back to Tony Joe White. It's Shelby's version of A Rainy Night In Georgia and she inhabits the lyrics in a way that draws one deeper into the meaning of the song than before, with Tony Joe himself on lead guitar taking us even further into the world that he conveyed so many years ago.

What's terrific about the album is its sense of intimacy. This is like sitting at the kitchen table with Shelby as she shares her songs and her feelings, though that means no compromise on production standards and the feeling that this is a privilege.

One of America's greatest voices!

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Lord, can this woman sing! Been in love with her voice since the earlier days. No real comments on this cd expect that it's great and a little different like most of hers are.