Dusty Springfield Lives! Shelby Lynne Can Explain...

Shelby's ready for "Breakfast In Bed." Or at least on the floor next to the bed, anyway...

Alt-country starlet Shelby Lynne has been simmering on the music world’s stovetop for the past few years. She’s released some good music and even dabbled in acting, too. (Did you catch her in a big high wig playing Johnny Cash’s mother in Walk the Line? Feeyurce.)

But chances are the perennial dark horse of the Nashville scene is going to get a lot more attention next year when her next album gets released. That’s because said release, Just A Little Lovin’ is an entire disc of Shelby doing Dusty Springfield songs, which fits the delicately husky tone of Lynne’s voice just perfectly.

"The Look of Love" is in her eyes... Um, that IS love, right?

Thursday night in NYC at the Hiro Ballroom, Lynne served up a showcase of some of the songs from the record, and as she made her way through the subtle, sometimes slinky/sometimes sparse/sometimes strummy arrangements, it was apparent that these were tunes she loved, and tunes that she wears well.

Among the best? The Burt Bacharach penned “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “The Look of Love,” and an almost woozy yet funky version of “I Only Want to Be With You,” which stripped the often too-perky tune down to its desperately bare essentials. And my favorite was “How Can I Be Sure,” which might have been the most downbeat of the tunes, but it showcased the stormy, brooding sort of emotions that Lynne serves up so sharply.

And yep, in addition to some music biz heavyweights in the room nodding their approval (including the album’s producer, the legendary Phil Ramone), there were more than a few women in the joint who you could tell are devout and very affectionate fans of the butch-ish Ms. Lynne. They seemed quite pleased with the Dusty covers as well. But no big surprise there.

The record’s due in February. You’ve got until then to polish off your martini shakers. You’ll want a cold, strong drink to go with these... Cheers.

Long live Dusty. In Memphis or Nashville or wherever...

Comments

[Joe Archey]

I seen Shelby Lynn last night on the Jay Leno show, I only have one thing to say to her...
I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU OVER AGAIN. I LOVE YOUR HAIR
AND I LOVE YOUR EYES. I have a song I wrote along time ago and it fits you to the tee. If you ever hear me singin' I'v Been Up and Down, It's about you. Great job last night,
I've added you to my list of Hero's. Love, Joe Archey