Entertainment For Lively Minds
Shelby Lynne
Posted by Rosbif on 24 November 2011 - 4:11pm.
What's it called?:
Revelation Road
What It Sounds Like:
Goodness, hasn't she Come A Long Way? From off-the-peg Nashville, through Sheryl Crow lite, some mis-steps and a sublime Dusty tribute; to boss of her own label and this *stunning* record. To start with, her singing is exquisite throughout. She always had a great voice, and it’s never sounded better than here, close-miked and intimate – as are the instruments, all played by Shelby herself. You can virtually count the dried peas in the shaker on Lead Me Love. Her guitar playing is robust and nimble, which is no surprise. What’s extraordinary is how beautifully judged all the other parts are (mandolin, bass ,percussion, a bit of electric piano); nothing fancy, but nothing obvious or downright amateur either. The songs are tuneful and memorable, the lyrics intimate and seemingly direct from the heart. The tone is melancholy: “I want to go back so I can run away again” sums it up. You’ll struggle to find a song as perfect as Toss It All Aside anywhere.
What Does It All "Mean"?:
After 25 years in the recording industry (and a well-publicised shadow in her family life), here is a performer who has finally found her niche and the perfect vehicle for expressing all the talent she has obviously had all along.
Goes well with...:
Frankly I can't think of any situation which wouldn't be improved by listening to this record.
Might Suit People Who Like...:
We often have a pet performer who we KNOW is capable of making much better records than s/he has so far made. You wait, we say, she'll make a classic one day. That moment has arrived for anyone who's followed Shelby Lynne from her first record.
And here's a sample
Lovely live version of Lead Me Love
Perfect
My gob is well and truly smacked.
It is
A very very good album
I have to take issue
with your contention "she'll make a classic one day".
I've only listened to this a couple of times, so I don't know if it is or it isn't but I'd suggest she's already made two - I Am Shelby Lynne and last year's Tears. Lies & Alibis.
Beg to differ
I love those two albums, without putting them in the very top bracket. I was listening to Tears Lies & Alibis earlier, actually. I really believe this record is appreciably better than her previous already very considerable best. Or to put it another way, I think all the songs on Revelation Road are as good as the standouts from TL&A (Loser/Dreamer and Why Didn't You Call Me).
to which I would add
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty
The Dusty album is lovely and utterly unnecessary. I already have "Dusty in Memphis". I do like Shelby tho and agree she needs to fulfill her long standing next big thing status. I don't know if this album does it as I haven't heard it. Yet.
It took me a few weeks to buy this
mainly because Amazon initially had it at a silly price. The singing is pretty bloody amazing even by her standards and I like the intimate front room feel to it. Like Carl I am not yet sure it is as good as Alibis but is certainly up there. I saw her do a record store appearance to promote Just a little lovin a couple of years back and I was spellbound by her voice and by her personality. I really think she is a major artist in terms of quality but doubt she will ever flirt with major success given what she has to compete with in the cloth-eared world of current popular music.
It's a grower
In the last week it's grown hugely on me. Still not sure if it's better than Tears… but really what else should we expect from Shelby other than pure class?
One big surprise for me is that No Depression is running a top 10 albums of the year poll and I'm (so far at least, and a lot have already posted) the only person to have listed her. That website is one that surely is her constituency.
http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/it-s-year-end-list-reader-pol...
Two months later...
I've listened to this album many, many times since I wrote this review, and I'm ever more convinced that it's her masterpiece. I've also listened to Tear Lies & Alibis a couple of times, and to me it's nowhere near as good, with a couple of really iffy songs: Family Tree is pretty average, with some substandard lines, and Something To Be Said About Airstreams is almost as clunky as its title. Revelation Road is all gold, and I can't wait to see her in concert in February!