Shelby Lynne's (more than) Just A Little Lovin'

I have been in love with the music and style of Shelby Lynne since the release in 2000 of the wonderfully confident I am Shelby Lynne. Even though she was a semi-established artist on the country music scene, she won the Grammy for best “new” artist in 2001 for this CD. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but Shelby is so not a country artist, she’s a classic pop, borderline R&B singer who was put into the country category because some knucklehead at her record company thought her story was a country music song. Get this: in front of Shelby, her father shot her mother and then shot himself. Of course, after this experience she became an artist with an uncanny ability to express emotion. She's now on the very cool, very with-it Lost Highway label.

Like the CD that won her the Grammy, this set is self-assured and gentle. This time, Shelby is here to worship Dusty Springfield’s work from what is easily one of the most important albums in my collection, Dusty in Memphis. With uber-producer-don’t-write-him-off-yet Phil Ramone at the dials, this is a great all-around album with standout tracks including I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore, How Can I Be Sure, I Only Want to be With You and the classic The Look of Love. Perfect background music for your next dinner party or to listen to while you admire what happens when the planets of producer, performer, writer, and vibe align.