I have the new Shelby Lynne cover disc of songs recorded by Dusty Springfield. I think it is my favorite disc of the past 6 months at least. Others hear this?
A nice LP, although my pressing is noisy. I wish the arrangements and the tempos were a little more varied. Her earlier album, "I Am Shelby Lynne", is a stronger representation of her talent. Unfortunately, it's not available on vinyl and the recording requires a little tolerance, but it's her best album to date. Also, if any of you don't have Ms. Springfield's "Dusty In Memphis", go for it.
She had a tragic childhood history as did her sister, Allison Moorer. Her pictures on the CD have a fairly cold stare which isn't the look of love. She looks to be a force to be recogned with. I really like the CD. I don't yet do vinyl. It is a bit bluesy and nostalgic. She plays a mean guitar on track 7. I felt it was well mastered and well recorded. I didn't feel that there was a sameness. It makes me want to hear more. I have played it for friends who are and are not audiophiles and they have all been impressed...even though they did not know her.
I have, "I Am Shelby Lynn" and like it a lot. Thanks for the heads up on something new by her. Can you anyone tell me what else of her discography is worth getting? (vinyl or CD ok w/me).
Shelby Lynne's two albums (the new one and "I am Shelby Lynne) are definitely good one's IMHO. If anyone wants some others to check out in the genre, my recommendations are:
Bettye LaVette (real soul)- Scene of the crime Buddy and Julie Miller- same Jollie Holland- Escondida (more New Orleans jazz I guess) Tift Merrett- Bramble Rose Laretta Lynn- Van Lear Rose
Another really good LP I just got was Rickie Lee Jones- It's like this.... The 45rpm Analog prod. deal..... Really, really good stuff
There is also Shelby Lynne- Epic Recordings, which is a compilation of material from the early 90s. And I can't recommend Tift Merritt Bramble Rose highly enough, particularly the last track "When I Cross Over" which is one of my all-time favorites.
"identity crisis" is one of my favorites by Shelby Lynne. along with the voice (which is incredible), her writing is just great, and her good taste is really evident in all of her recordings.
"I Am Shelby Lynne" is absolutely essential, but the more I listen to her the more I think everything she does is.
I have the record and like it quite a bit. The vinyl is a bit noisy but listenable. I understand it was recorded analog. Does anyone know if it was mixed and/or mastered in digital for the vinyl (was the same master used for both CD and LP?)? I year a bit of flatness that I normally associate with digital.
I second CMO's suggestion of Loretta Lynns "Van Lear rose" It's the biggest surprises I've encountered in a while! Sounds like some Grateful Dead,Ryan Adams combo. Killer record! Almost puts Mick Jagger to shame! Never thought the queen of Country could sound like this! A must listen!
I'm a big Shelby Lynne (and Allison Moorer) fan, but the jury's still out for me on this one. Perhaps its because the sparse arrangements are such a departure from her prior works. The CD sounds very good and I still listening, but as of now i believe her two prior albums (Idenity Crisis and Suit Yourself) are better.
As to the earlier comments about Lynne not living up to her potential, I believe you can place Shelby Lynne's and Alison Moorer's lack of commercial success directly on the execs in Nashville who decided its easier to market meaningless drivel (generally speaking, of course).
I received a response from Doug Sax. The vinyl was sourced from a 96/24 digital cutting master that was made from the original analog tapes. It is NOT a pure analog LP.
I just played this through for the first time this morning. Comments here caused me to go for the CD version instead of risking a noisy LP. I think this is a very good album musically and sonically. The musicians are really top notch and the guitar playing by Dean Parks is, as always, fantastic. The whole album has got a really good "vibe"--a little like Nora Jones but with SOUL. While the recording quality is quite good (I'm sure the fact that Doug did the mastering has helped in this regard) I feel they missed the boat ever so slightly on her vocals. There is a lack of body and immediacy here that detracts ever so slightly from the experience. The vocals are good, just not great. It is the kind of deficiency one might expect from using a lesser quality mic--subtle but noticeable. Anyone else feel the vocals could have been a bit warmer, more focused and more immediate?
Agree. I tried this morning for the first time since I bought it at Amoeba Music. Hollywood right around when it was released. Absolutely great record and sound. I sat thru the whole record awestruck!
I thought the vocals sounded warm and intimate. The Absolute Sound in the March 2008 issue reviewed it and Neil Gader liked it. He said that she used a mic that was an ancient RCA 44 ribbon mic nicknamed "Frank's mic",giving it a vintage and elegant mood.
To put it kindly, I never much cared for Dusty Springfield, but being a sucker for good lookin blondes, when I saw Shelby's picture on the cover of her new CD, I put the headphones on at Barnes & Noble, to take a listen and now own the CD. I really like what Shelby does here.
Shortly after that when watching an episode of October Road, I caught 10 seconds of a song... and set out on a mission to learn who did it. Turns out it the song was by "The Jayhawks" from their CD titled "Rainy Day Music". When I chased "The Jayhawks" on the web, I found the Lost Highway web site. There I was suprised to learn that Lost Highway produced both The Jawhawks CD and the Shelby Lynne CD.
I never paid much attention to who produced the music, but there seems to be a common thread with Lost Highway's music.
Check out the Lost Highway web site, they've got some great music there.
Lost Highway is a terrific label, they've focused on so-called "alt country" from the start - they're actually a subdivision of Island, but it seems like they're fairly independent. They started off with some great smaller acts like Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams and now have artists like Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Lyle Lovett and even the Eagles on the roster.
If you enjoy the Jayhawks, their lead singer Gary Louris just released a fine solo album called Vagabonds.
The Jayhawks are IMHO the most under-appreciated band around. They've created a true evolving body of work with many great albums over a long period of time. Check out Hollywood Town Hall as a start.
And yes, Lost Highway has plenty of great bands on board. Cheers,
Patrick_odonnell... Believe it or not, I already have the Gary Louris CD Vagabonds, and I agree with you, that's one mighty fine CD. That guy has more talent in his little finger than half the artists in my entire CD collection. Every song on that CD IMHO is great.
Sbank... Like I said above, after hearing just 10 seconds of the Jayhawks' song "Will I See You In Heaven" on the October Road TV show, I found the Lost Highway website, where I set out on my mission to own that CD. Since the Rainy Day Music CD is out of print, and can't even be downloaded by the legal service providers, I was lucky enought to find a factory sealed CD on Ebay for $40.00. I bet the seller thought I was a sucker for paying that much, but for music like that, I would have paid even more.
Glad to see some other Jayhawks fans here. I do beg to differ on one point. I think Rainy Day Music is as good as Hollywood Town Hall, and actually better than Tomorrow The Green Grass. Also, don't overlook their first record, Blue Earth, where their Gram Parsons' influence is more evident. A wonderful record.
Well, Gary Louris and Mark Olsen have an album slated to come out sometime later this year (it's apparently been done for awhile but was held back so it wouldn't conflict with Louris' solo album), hopefully we'll at least get another Mark & Gary tour to go along with it. There's an interview with Louris on AVclub.com where he also mentions wanting to re-release the first Jayhawks recordings (which have never been on CD) along with rarities and unreleased stuff. Should be a good year for Jayhawks fans!
Yes, Gary & Mark's tour a couple of years ago was one of the best shows I can remember. Saw them after a snowstorm at World Cafe Live in Philly. They were most appreciative of fans' efforts to get to the show and rewarded us with great enthusiasm and multiple encores. Cheers, Spencer
As previously reported, the original pressing had a good bit of noise. Lost Highway repressed and they sent me a replacement copy at no charge. Great company.
I saw/heard Shelby two weeks ago at a small venue in New York, she did nearly the entire recording, and it was just magical. I bought the LP there and in my view it is not any better than the CD, at least on my system, in my room. But they are both stellar, from a performance and recording perspective. Truly a rare occurrence in a recording, such a talent.
I can't get enough of track 2.Fantastic.Stereophile seems to think it's a good recording. I don't think it's anything special.I agree that the vinyl sounds about the same too.I also agree with what Tagyerit said. Identity crisis is one of her best.She has a very sensual voice.Makes you wanna grab the old lady and... Well you know.
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