Happy 20th Anniversary to Shelby Lynne’s sixth studio album I Am Shelby Lynne, originally released in the UK April 10, 1999 and in the US January 25, 2000.
“Thank you very much...Thirteen years and six albums to get here,” Shelby Lynne told the audience after winning the Best New Artist award at the 43rd Annual GRAMMYs in February 2001. As Lynne's breakout album I Am Shelby Lynne celebrates the 20th anniversary of its stateside release (following its UK release in April 1999), it's time to look back and give it some love. Lynne's journey to this point in her career is a story of perseverance and belief in one's self.
Lynne, born Shelby Lynne Moorer, grew up in Jackson, Alabama with her voice teacher mother, bandleader father and younger sister Allison, who would eventually go on to become a country singer herself. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the family in 1986 when Lynne's father, who was an abusive alcoholic, shot and killed her mother and then immediately afterward, took his own life while his daughters watched in horror. At just 17 years of age, Lynne was thrust into the task of raising her 14-year-old sister.
A couple of years later, Lynne moved to Nashville and had recorded some demos in the hopes of getting signed to a label. After an appearance on TNN's popular show Nashville Now, she signed with Epic Records. Her duet with the legendary George Jones, "If I Could Bottle This Up," was a Top 50 Country hit. In the ensuing years, Lynne would record five albums with three different labels. She struggled with her musical direction and lack of control of her career. She experimented with different styles, going from mainstream country to country pop and even Western swing. Despite the lack of chart success, Lynne always showed great promise and in 1990, she won the Academy of Country Music's (ACM) Top New Female Vocalist award.
In 1998, Lynne moved from Nashville to Palm Springs, with the hope of reigniting her career. She connected with veteran producer Bill Bottrell, noted for producing Sheryl Crow's GRAMMY winning debut LP Tuesday Night Music Club (1993), to produce I Am Shelby Lynne. The "promise" that Nashville saw in Lynne is on full display across this LP. It's not fair to Lynne to call the album a re-invention of her career; instead, it is a revelation that may not have been possible if she had stayed in Nashville. On I Am Shelby Lynne, she affirms her distinctive vocal prowess, which resembles a hybrid approach somewhere along the spectrum of Bonnie Raitt, Dusty Springfield and possibly even Bobbie Gentry. Who's saying “no” to that?
The first track, "Your Lies" is a dramatic, string-filled breakup song that is not only lyrically strong, but shows a vulnerability that pairs well with the music. With lines like, “Your lies won't leave me alone / You used to say you loved me did ya / Why'd you do me this way / It didn't have to be that way,” I have no idea who or what Lynne is singing about, whether it’s an ex-lover or the Nashville music scene she left in the rearview.
"Leavin'" and "Life is Bad" are as different as night and day, but both feature spoken words throughout. The former is reminiscent of a ‘70s soul record with its slow, deliberate pacing and on point harmonies, which were all done by Lynne. As a matter of fact, Lynne performs all the background vocals on this album. The Bonnie Raitt influenced "Life is Bad" is a clear nod to her country music past, complete with pedal steel guitar and hard luck lyrics (“Rock the sinking vessel till it rests on the bottom / Count the waves of water don't remember forgot them / Taste the stench of livin' on thin dimes and a dream / Opening an ear to a painful silent scream / Oh life is bad / Oh no, worst I ever had”).
When I first listened to this record, about midway through "Thought It Would Be Easier," I was convinced this may be one of the best breakup albums I've ever heard. Lynne's heartfelt lyrics paint a vivid picture along with a hushed "Yeah, I've been there."
The brilliance of I Am Shelby Lynne is its ability to dip its toes into different genres without compromising the integrity of the work. Lynne, without being boxed in by the Nashville machine, is able to stretch and grow as an artist. In 1999, she told The Irish Times, "I haven't been in Nashville since 1995, but I would guess it's still confining. I just couldn't do it anymore. I was feeling unfulfilled as an artist, and I didn't want to live in a place where people couldn't accept my honesty anymore."
"Where I'm From" and "Black Light Blue" close out the album with the former being a tribute to her childhood home of Alabama. Acoustic guitar and strings, along with Lynne's beautiful voice, make this one of the LPs highlights. "Black Light Blue," the album's final track, is a gorgeous torch song that once again highlights Lynne's range and versatility.
I Am Shelby Lynne is a beautiful 10-song confessional that works musically and lyrically. In an interview with the New York Times in 2008 Lynne reflected, “That album (I Am Shelby Lynne) came from the most vulnerable, desperate place.” She added, “I think about it every day.”
The album unleashed parts of her that were there all along, but Nashville never allowed to blossom. I think that's not such a bad thing because we might not have gotten I Am Shelby Lynne otherwise. If this LP is appearing on your radar for the first time, then by all means, give it a listen.
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