Send "Shelby Lynne " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Allmusic |
 Given the wonderfully mercurial, fiercely independent persona Shelby Lynne has displayed throughout her career (one that has inspired fans and infuriated record company executives) her first self-produced, self-released effort might have been fraught with egocentric excess. Many artists have fallen into that trap. But they don't have her backbone and keen self-critical eyes and ears: Tears, Lies and Alibis, issued on her own Everso imprint, is anything but.Produced with exquisite balance, these ten self-penned songs reflect what Lynne’s learned about the studio process in her 20 years as a recording artist. Lynne cut the basic tracks at home in Rancho Mirage with Brian Harrison and her own band; she finished them in Nashville with help from some studio guests including Muscle Shoals legends Spooner Oldham and David Hood. Production is only one part of the equation, however, songs are quite another, and Lynne hadn’t written many since 2005’s Suit Yourself. She more than compensates here. The set opens with the jaunty “Rains Came.” Acoustic guitars play a jacked-up rhythm, painted by an organ and kissed by electric guitars; Rickenbackers fill the instrumental interlude. It’s a happy song about being sad, and woodwinds underscore that acceptance at the tail-end. Seamlessly, she shifts into the breezy adult pop of "Why Didn't You Call Me?" as a horn section, jazzy acoustic guitars, and her own multi-tracked backing vocals blend effortlessly. It’s another sad tune that transcends its lyrics; a beautiful arrangement and midtempo groove make it shimmer. But there are tough ballads -- the stark, nakedly vulnerable “Like a Fool” and the shamelessly broken-hearted confessional country waltz “Old # 7” -- that showcase Lynne’s lyrical gifts as pure Americana poetry. “Alibi” is another ballad whose lovely harmonic construction belies the hurt in the protagonist's voice as she confronts a lover’s betrayal. Her voice is unforced, relaxed, and matter-of-factly articulate in each of these songs. While there isn’t a loser in the bunch, “Something to Be Said About Airstreams,” a paean to restlessness and freedom, is a standout. Its slow tempo and lilting arrangement momentarily distract from the singer's need to escape the heartbreak hidden just beneath the lyric. “Loser Dreamer,” an atmospheric homage to those whose self-acceptance destines them for disappointment, is memorable, as is the album's jazz-inflected closer, "Home Sweet Home." Tears, Lies and Alibis feels like a destination for Lynne; one she’s sought for her entire career, to balance her artistic instincts and ambitions with her talents as a songwriter, producer, and singer. Summoning the bravery to go it on your own is rare -- especially for an established artist. To actually pull it off it honestly, with taste and balance to boot, is rarer still....full text |
| Boston |
| Shelby Lynne’s first album of original material in five years starts out where her 2008 Dusty Springfield tribute, “Just a Little Lovin’,’’ left off. (In fact, the opening tracks here creep closer to Dusty’s blue-eyed soul sound more than Lynne ever did on her tribute.) Soon enough, though, Lynne shifts gears, but not toward the sort of eclecticism she’s been displaying since she reinvented herself a decade ago on “I Am Shelby Lynne.’’ Her typical lyrical bent remains, but musically, “Tears, Lies & Alibis’’ is largely a spare, acoustic affair. Lynne sounds utterly naked on “Like a Fool,’’ a delicate ache of a song built on strummed acoustic and tolling baritone guitars, and completely fed up on “Family Tree,’’ which rides a harder strum before erupting into a banjo-fueled coda. She boils hardcore honky-tonk down to guitar (still acoustic), pedal steel, pain, and hard liquor on “Old #7’’ and trots out her songwriting chops on “Something to Be Said,’’ an ode to Airstream trailers (“a rolling home made out of silver’’) and fleeing in them. But after all the tears, lies, and alibis, she closes in anticipation of stillness and grace, singing of the balm of returning to “Home Sweet Home.’’ (Out tomorrow) STUART MUNRO...full text |
| Slantmagazine |
| Since her WTF Grammy win for Best New Artist, Shelby Lynne has really seized the reins over her career arc, chasing her restless creative muse to some unexpected places. Following the sophisticated pop of 2008's understated tribute to Dusty Springfield, Just a Little Lovin', Lynne returns to an earthier singer-songwriter approach for Tears, Lies, and Alibis. The album marks a significant entry in Lynne's catalogue as her first self-produced collection, and it's clear that she has acquired considerable studio know-how over the course of her 20-year career. Lynne's songwriting has often exuded an easygoing, laidback vibe, and that tone carries over to the generally light hand she shows at the soundboard on Tears. Her to-the-point acoustic guitar licks dominate the record and reflect the at-home origins of the songs, but she adds some effective flourishes, such as a clarinet on opener "Rains Came" and Hammond organ courtesy of Spooner Oldham on "Why Didn't You Call Me," to give the album a sense of depth. Her production instincts are spot-on, never overindulging in the freedom afforded by her role as the producer. Unfortunately, Lynne's songwriting isn't as sharp here as it has been on records like Suit Yourself and Identity Crisis. "Call" is one of the standouts and wouldn't have been out of place on her Dusty Springfield album. "Family Tree" surprises for its vitriol, but nearly four straight minutes of rhyming couplets like "I'm sick and tired of throwing stones/'Cause all that leaves is broken bones" quickly becomes tiresome. The premise of "Loser Dreamer," about relationships that never quite get off the ground, is more interesting than its actual execution, with a hook that Lynne attempts to shoehorn into the song's meter. She extols the virtues of life in an Airstream trailer on "Something to Be Said," but Miranda Lambert covered that territory better on "Airstream Song." Ultimately, most of these songs are adequate and work well enough together, but they lack Lynne's usual wit and spark....full text |
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