Identity Crisis - Shelby Lynne

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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke

Shelby Lynne first appeared on the national scene in the late 1980's when she sang a duet with George Jones. After a few years and albums for Columbia/Sony Records, Shelby went on to record for three different labels before settling in with Island Records in 1999. While at Island, Shelby recoded I Am Shelby Lynne and became a household name and success selling over 250,000 copies of the album and winning 2000's "Best New Artist" Grammy (even though she'd been around for more than 10 years). Her 2001 album, Love, Shelby was an attempt at attracting more of the mainstream pop/rock fans that snatched up "I Am." Unfortunately the glossy pop album was the opposite of the rootsy sound of "I Am" thus it sold less than 100,000 copies (but cost millions to make) and lead Shelby to leave Island Records. Between 2001 and the summer of 2003, Shelby spent time at her beach front home writing and recording the songs that would become her "comeback" album, Identity Crisis. Self-produced, Identity Crisis has bits and pieces of Shelby's whole career thus far which makes it a stellar and personal album not unlike those which little sister Allison Moorer records.

"Telephone" opens up the album with a rootsy yet rocking song (think Sheryl Crow) about avoiding the telephone after a bitter breakup. It's the kind of song that should be a hit and why it hasn't yet is beyond me. The hook of the song grabs you in and Shelby's powerful vocals provide the butter for the delicious melody strewn throughout the entire song.

“If I Were Smart” has a simple acoustic based melody with lyrics that play on the “Wizard of Oz” Tin Man theme. “If I were smart, I wouldn’t have a heart.” It’s a tad slow for any radio airplay but the song certainly stands out as one of the better and well-written songs for the year 2003. I can see someone having a big hit with this or even better yet, the song featured in a scene of a movie.

“Gotta Be Better” could be played on the radio. Not for country radio, but it has an aggressive acoustic rock that fits the Triple A radio format quite well. It’s the type of song that also screams to be a highlight of a live event with Shelby. The lyrics talk about coming out of the worst depression one could possibly have been in.

“Lonesome” has a multi-tracked vocal style that recalls the great Patsy Cline songs of yesteryear. It never hurts a song like this to be graced by the presence of talented pianists with honky tonk aspirations. It’s as if the greatest country pianist of all time, Floyd Cramer has come back alive when I hear the melody in the background. The song has a traditional “cryin’ for you” lyric to it but the melody and delivery of the lyric is quite stunning. This song is evidence of why Shelby is such a great country singer.

With its blues rock groove, “Evil Man” reminds me of the best stuff that Bonnie Raitt has ever recorded. Not vocally but melodically (Shelby sings so much better than Bonnie). This is a pure unadulterated delta blues song.

The melody of “Baby” has remnants of many different eras of music, primarily the girl groups of the 50s. With that simple melody and Shelby’s passionate vocals and guitar playing, the song is but one of the many winners on the CD.

After finishing the CD, Shelby knew she had something good and with that was anxious about "shopping" the album to labels. Notoriously fickle about "product" (or art in the singer/songwriter's mind), labels have a tendency to want to change things. With Identity Crisis, Capitol Records was enamored enough to leave the project as is so Shelby signed a multi-album deal with the venerable label. The pairing seems like a match made in heaven and as an album, Identity Crisis is one of 2003's best releases. It's not strictly a country album nor is it a rock/pop album, it's just good music that all fans will enjoy, especially those dealing with tough relationships.

Song List:

1. Telephone
2. 10 Rocks
3. If I Were Smart
4. Gotta Be Better
5. I Don't Think So
6. I'm Alive
7. I Will Stay
8. Lonesome
9. Evil Man
10. Buttons And Beaus
11. Baby
12. One With The Sun