Shelby Lynne
a.k.a.
Shelby Lynne Moorer
WELL SUITED Shelby Lynne Takes Charge on an Intimate Acoustic Set
Following the elaborate production on her brilliant I Am Shelby Lynne and 2003's Identity Crisis, Lynne dispenses with the blue-eyed soul atmospherics in favor of a casual, acoustic-based sound on Suit Yourself. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has never sounded so immediate, so vulnerable, or so alluring. She can still slice and dice a faithless lover with the best of 'em ("You Don't Have a Heart"), but this time out she seems to be finding love and satisfaction in all the right places, whether it be in a new prospect (the funky "Go with It") or a familiar paramour ("Iced Tea"). She also takes time to wax nostalgic about one of the great romances of our time in "Johnny Met June," written on the day Lynne heard of Johnny Cash's death. And not least of all, she brings in her buddy Tony Joe White to play guitar and harmonica on a couple of tracks and covers his "Old Time's Sake" and "Rainy Night in Georgia" (listed as "Track #12"). Prior to the start of a tour, Lynne chatted with Barnes & Noble.com's David McGee about the creation of Suit Yourself.
Barnes & Noble.com: This is a pretty rustic album compared to what you've done before.
Shelby Lynne: Yeah, just limited instruments and keeping it real with the song and letting the song do the work, mainly. I feel like it all starts with the song, and if you have a song -- or at least when I feel I have a song -- it'll do the work for you. I try not to overdo it.
B&N.com: And some of these songs were songs you had written earlier and had in the can, and some were especially written for this project?
SL: I had some songs left over from the last record, and I'm always writing, so I keep a good many songs around. Yeah, I had some, like "When Johnny Met June," which I wrote the day that Johnny died. Then I had "Iced Tea" for a while. Then I got with the fellas when we got ready to record in Nashville and I wrote "I Won't Die Alone" and "I Cry Everyday" off the cuff, so you never know where it's gonna come from. You just go with it.
B&N.com: You've worked with some good producers over the years. What did you learn from them that you brought to this self-produced project?
SL: I guess if I learned anything it's that the proof's in the pie. What I learned from the producers I used is that I don't want a producer. I'm not saying I won't have a producer in the future, because that will show itself. It's like working with another personality, and collaboration is a real thing, whether you're writing with the producer or letting them do the producing. It's something I'm not interested in right now. I'm not saying I'm a record producer, either. I just know what I wanted on this record and was determined to do it myself. It's not something I want to pore over. A lot of cats get with me and want do this heavy thing, and that's not where I am.
B&N.com: Obviously there's a story behind "When Johnny Met June." What was the day of Johnny's death like for you?
SL: It was very emotional. I was sitting in my office like I normally do, just writing and listening to KCRW, which I do whenever I can. And I heard a Johnny Cash song on the radio and I thought, That's cool, playing ol' John, and then the DJ came on and said John had passed on that morning. It hit me kinda hard, and I was sad. As a fan, it was, Oh, no, there's one more gone. Who's gonna fill those shoes? I wrote the song within an hour after hearing the news. It was emotional, you know. "Johnny Cash" means "individual" to me, and that's what it's all about.
B&N.com: And you played his mother in the film biography, I Walk the Line. What was that like for you?
SL: It was good. I liked not being me for a minute. It was kinda cool.
B&N.com: Your pal, songwriter Tony Joe White, is on the record. He's someone who's starting to show up again after a long hiatus.
SL: That's long overdue.
B&N.com: What do you like about his songs?
SL: Well, he's just the epitome of cool. Killer songwriter, great guitar player, and he's just got a vibe about him that you can't really describe. It's truly what a vibe is. And we've been friends for several years. I'm a fan of his music because it soothes the soul in a bluesy way, but his lyrics are so real. I really appreciate him. I wish everybody knew about Tony Joe White.
B&N.com: So tell me about "Track #12," and why is it called that when it appears to be Tony Joe's song "Rainy Night in Georgia"?
SL: Well, it is "Rainy Night in Georgia." I didn't name it because it already has a name, and I wanted people to dig in and hear it. And I didn't want to do that stupid hidden track crap 'cause I hate that. But I do believe in the song so much and I loved the recording we made, and I just really wanted people to dig in and have to get to that chorus.
B&N.com: You mentioned that when you heard on the radio that Johnny Cash had died, you were in your office writing. Do you write on a schedule, try to do something every day?
SL: No. No, I don't. When I say "write," it's not necessarily songs. I write all kinds of things. Musically, I just do it when it hits me. I always keep a little thing going about what I'm doing in my life because I would love to write books one day. Just practicing.
B&N.com: How do you feel about where you're at in your career right now? Seems like you're on a real good roll with the last three albums in particular.
SL: That's nice of you to say. I guess you have to just settle into doing what you do. You can't think about the business, certainly. Just do your thing. And I'm grateful to do it -- grateful and lucky and love to be able to be a musician for a living. Hell, it's like Willie Nelson said: "I can be Willie Nelson on a tour bus playing 250 dates a year, or I can be Willie Nelson playing a Holiday Inn. Either way I'm grateful to be making music." And that's kinda the way I feel about it. The rest is just business and not necessarily anything to do with the art, if you can be so bold as to call it art.
May 2005
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