Magnolia Thunderpussy

Reviews:

Shelby Lynne won a Best New Artist Grammy in 2000 for I Am Shelby Lynne, which was actually her sixth album. The Best New Artist Grammy is considered a curse by some. Past winners have included Christopher Cross (who was never heard from again), Culture Club (which promptly broke up) and Lauryn Hill (who has yet to equal the brilliance of The Miseducation of...) You get the idea. Lynne's first post Grammy album, Love, Shelby was produced by hit making producer Glen Ballard, the guy behind Alanis Morissette's zillion selling success, but it was a disappointing mess. Identity Crisis, which took two years to write and record, is a return to form and amply fulfills the promise of I Am Shelby Lynne. Lynne produced, wrote all the songs, played most of the instruments and sang all the vocals, to create an album that brings all her interests-country, folk, singer/songwriter, R&B, blues and pop-together in one bright, beautiful package. There isn't a weak track on the disc, and even as she jumps from style to style the voice and the feel maintain a unified vision. Standouts include "I Will Stay" a simmering ballad with beautiful guitar work and an achingly poignant vocal, "Baby" a seductive bit of western swing, "10 Rocks," a gospel song that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at tribulations and mortality, and "Gotta Be Better" which sounds like an out-take from a Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood session.