If for her name alone, Shelby Lynne would seem to have been genetically programmed to sing country music. Yet her life has given her greater preparation than just a memorable moniker. The sister of Alison Moorer, Lynne was thrown in jail by her alcoholic father at the age of seventeen, a father who later murdered his wife in front of his daughters before turning the gun on himself.
No wonder Lynne’s eyes burn with an intensity on the photo montage that accompanies her latest album. After a career spent wandering in search of suitable musical style, she's abandoned the ill-fated excursion into pop rock that was Love, Shelby and fashioned a much more satisfying mix of acoustic music, country and soul.
Despite assembling a band that includes the omnipresent Benmont Tench from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Lynne is the dominant force here, her voice shot through with experience in a world where teenagers feel qualified to sing about relationships and the like. You just wish though that this was a more interesting record.
For all her attitude Suit Yourself slips to easily into the role of background listening and comes to an end before you realise it, so much has your attention wandered over its course. Force yourself to sit down and pay attention and there’s some good stuff going on here, it’s just that you’d expect an artist like Lynne to grab by the throat rather than pulling politely at your sleeve. The music industry needs people like Shelby Lynne but it doesn’t need any more records like Suit Yourself.