Shelby Lynne Just a Little Lovin' 180g LP

TAS Recommended! Rated a 'Best Audiophile Label Recording' in the November 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound!

Stereophile March 2008 Recording of the Month!

Shelby Lynne's 2008 album Just a Little Lovin' pays tribute to the late Dusty Springfield. Produced by Phil Ramone, who had worked with Dusty on her 1967 track, "The Look of Love," the 10-track album features classic Dusty covers such as "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "I Only Want to Be with You," "Breakfast in Bed," and more. Available on 180g black vinyl.

This is a measured, sweetly rendered set of songs featuring Lynne's lovely, scarred vocal interpretations. Lynne and her producer, Phil Ramone, do right by the songs in stripping them down to the bare bones musical ensemble of guitar, bass, subtle keyboards and drums. The focus remains that oh-so-vivid and versatile voice.

Peeling back the sweeping orchestras and production to which we've grown so accustomed, Lynne and her empathetic rhythm section reinvent Dusty's material, underscoring the vulnerability and desperation at the core of her songs even as they enable us to hear them in a new key.

The more you listen to Just a Little Lovin', the more it becomes clear that, while it's not a pairing that might have immediately sprung to mind...Lynne and Springfield aren't all that far apart in tone, delivery, and emotional wallop. While Dusty could ornament a musical line and accent lyrics in indelible ways that escape Lynne, the younger rebel does a creditable job of catching just enough of Dusty's mojo to show that she understands what made the originals so powerful.

(Lynne) wields her flexible cords like a bullwhip and a balm, searing and soothing in the same phrase. She doesn't just take on Springfield classics like 'Breakfast in Bed' or 'The Look of Love.' Lynne goes one better, making the songs her own with clever phrasing and steamy tempos... Lovin' captures that vintage, elegant mood. Sonics are warm, wide, and rich in detail and transparency.