Shelby Lynne is on fire these days, releasing two critically acclaimed albums — “Tears, Lies, and Alibis” and “Merry Christmas” — and coming back this year with “Revelation Road.” Of course Lynne has always been something of a renegade as many in the music industry learned when she hit the music scene in 1989 with her debut album “Sunrise.” It was about a decade later when Lynne hit what some jokingly refer to as “the big, big time,” meaning international recognition. For Lynne, that came in 2000 with the U.S. release of her sixth album “I am Shelby Lynne,” which earned her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. While some artists would continue to mimic the music that won them commercial success, Lynne has never been afraid to delve into various formats from country, blues, soul, jazz and even Western swing.
“One of the great things about having my own record label [Everso Records] is the schedule is my own. I can record when I feel I am ready. And I was ready.”
| Onstage |
| Shelby Lynne |
| » Where: The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria |
| » When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday |
| » Info: $29.50, birchmere.com |
Perhaps that’s not surprising when you consider Lynne finally teamed with her singer-songwriter sister Allison Moorer for their first ever tour, “Side by Side” The two sisters have always been very close. They both talk about learning to sing with the other from their earliest memories and learning to sing harmony as their mother drove them to school. Credit that closeness with her sister and brother-in-law, the legendary Steve Earle, and the couple’s young son plus other family members for inspiring some of Lynne’s most personal songs to date.
“It’s about my family. It’s a personal, private record. When something is really personal I really like keeping it that way and let people who hear the songs do their own thinking and deciding what it feels like to them,” Lynne said. “I don’t really want to talk too much about it. Music is a way to express myself. But it doesn’t mean I know how to talk about it. That’s why I have music.”
Adding to the personal feel of the album is Lynne’s musicianship. She plays all of the instruments on the songs, including some that she hadn’t played before including mandolin, banjo, drums and congas. Consider her instrumental self-reliance something of an experiment that felt right and natural soon after she began.
“I had many revelations making the album. The past is the past and we can’t change it, so it’s best to keep moving forward in our journey through life,” said Lynne, who was born in Quantico, Va. “This record came out of necessity — it had to happen in order for me to move on.”
