November 5th, Shelby Lynn at The Triple Door in Seattle, WA
For her encore at
Seattle Washington’s
Triple Door, on November 5th,
Shelby Lynne sang the
Dusty Springfield hit song, “Wishin’ And Hopin,” and it was fitting
because Lynne’s set consisted mainly of the late British pop singer’s hit
songs. Throughout the evening the fans who packed the house were
indeed
“wishin’ and hopin’” for more great music from the singer. Lynne, who was
dressed in black jeans, four-inch stiletto heels, a blue denim jacket, and
navy blue top, started the evening off rather demurely, a solitary figure in
the spotlight, between songs, speaking to her audience in a hushed
Alabama
drawl.
It was not until her third song, “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” (1966-Springfield), with her straight blonde hair cascading past her shoulders, that Lynne allowed a trace of a smile to grace her face, when she sang the phrase, “…just be close at hand…” Lynne better known for her country tunes, used powerful, emotive vocals to make this song convincingly her own.
Backed by a band that included a pianist, acoustic and electric guitars, drums and bass guitar, Lynne seemed to relax and found her groove while singing another Dusty Springfield hit, “I Only Want To Be With You,” a song that peaked for Springfield at # 4 in Britain and # 2 in the United States.
Lynne took a risk in singing, the infamous “The Look Of Love,” a Burt Bacharach tune recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1967, for the movie Casino Royale, and included on her Where Am I Going? record. The Academy Award nominated song is so popular, and so readily identified initially with Springfield, and later with prolific artists such as Sergio Mendez and Diana Krall, it would be difficult for any artist regardless of their stature, or genre to receive more than a lukewarm response from an audience, however Lynne’s phrasing was impeccable, and her voice soulful, as she delivered an outstanding rendition of the popular tune. It was very evident from the audience’s response that they approved of Lynne’s interpretation.
The singer’s Alabama drawl
gave her a down-home char
m,
endearing the singer to her audience. It also added authenticity to southern
hospitality songs such as “Willie & Laura Mae Jones.” Lynne painted vivid
pictures of Willie sitting on the front porch playing his guitar and talking
with his neighbor. The song, “Willie & Laura Mae Jones,” written by Tony Joe
White (“Rainy Night In George”), and sung by Springfield (1969), demonstrated,
as she did so many times during the evening, that Shelby Lynne is a great
storyteller, and her fondness for singing ballads allows that gift to shine.
During the evening, Lynne also performed the lamenting, “Pretend You Love Me,” about an emotionally abusive relationship, the Springfield tune, “How Can I Be Sure,” performed with only an acoustic guitar accompaniment and the Randy Newman song, “I Don’t Want To Hear It Anymore.”
As she closed out her show with “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” Lynne wore a big warm smile throughout the former top ten song (1964), her vocals were awesome and she appeared to have a lot of fun with this song.
Lynn presented a simple concert, allowing her vocals to tell the stories, without a lot of clutter or overbearing instrumentals. The musicians who backed her were smooth, and turned in a great performance as well.
Shelby Lynne’s new CD, Just A Little Lovin' will be released by Lost Highway Records on February 5th. The record, recorded in January 2007. Also appearing on the CD are drummer Greg Field, guitarist Dean Parks, keyboardist Rob Mathes and bass player Kevin Axt.
On November 13th, Shelby Lynne appears at the Belcourt Theater in Nashville and on the 15th, she performs at New York City’s Hiro Ballroom.
Reviewed By Joe Montague
Bottom Photo by Joe Montague ©
Reviewed by Joe Montague for Riveting Riffs (www.rivetingriffs.com)
Reviewed November 5, 2007
Riveting Riffs wishes to thank the management of The Triple Door for making it possible for Riveting Riffs to review this concert
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