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Amazon.com: Producer Brent Maher had to do something with his time after his prize clients, the Judds, broke up, and in Shelby Lynne, he has found one of the few women in Nashville who can match Wynonna Judd in vocal firepower. In 1993, Maher produced and co-wrote Lynne's Temptation, a terrific album of big-band country swing which somehow got lost in the shuffle. Lynne's sequel,Restless, is a return to the country mainstream after her left-turn detour through swing. When Lynne opens all the stops in her throat and just wails, as she does on the album's first single "Slow Me Down," there's no mistaking the sheer strength of her voice. But there's a lot more to her talent than that; she can down shift into a conversational murmur, as she does on "Talkin' to Myself," and still make you hang on every word--just by the way she maintains a full, intense tone even at the lowest volumes. Most importantly, her command of tricky rhythmic phrasing reminds one of Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson and few others in country-music history. All in all, this marks the full flowering of a major country talent and stands as one of the landmark events of 1995.--Geoffrey Himes
Customer Reviews:
- Yellow Moon in the Southern Sky: Curb Records' re-release of this Shelby Lynne set is indeed welcome both for the budget pricetag & the musical excellence. After having been blown away by Jamie O'Hara's "Beautiful Obsession" CD, he writes & co-writes 6 of the 10 tracks here. Shelby Lynne's voice is one of the most beautiful & expressive. Marrying that voice to great material with sterling musicianship results in one unforgettable CD.
The set closer "Swingtown" is delightful western swing with a rollicking gospel flair, "Let the heavens swing with all their melodies ... And when they need some more to sing a harmony, if I'm there, please let them call on me!" The opener "Slow Me Down" rocks relentlessly with Lynne's vocals oozing positive glee, "I need a little time for some relaxation, a little bit of loving from my sugar pie, Only heaven knows how my heart's been aching for a big yellow moon in the Southern sky." "Hey Now Little Darling" has that classic sense of bounce you get off many of O'Hara's songs & details a joyful breakup. Rod McGaha's jazz CD "Preacherman" on Nashville's Compass label was a favorite release a few years back, resulting in about 5 copies under friends' Christmas tree that year. Here, McGaha pens the lovely slow aching "Wish I Knew" that Shelby takes and nails the sad energy of the track. With Shelby's excellent new CD "Suit Yourself" moving in a more personal vein, "Restless" works as a set where she was trying to suit the audience. There are no weak tracks on this CD. Bravo! - Shelby Lynne, keepin' it country!: Although the album art shows Lynne looking all glammed-up, the music inside is some of her most bare-bones, back-to-basics, honkytonk-oriented country stuff to date. It's pretty darn nice, if the truth be told. Producer Brent Maher (who crafted many of the Judds' biggest hits) slathers on liberal doses of fiddle and pedal steel, and the backbeat is pure Texas shuffle, with Shelby's multitracked vocals sounding mighty fine. She wrote about half of the songs on here, many in collaboration with up-and-coming Jamie O'Hara. A couple of songs drift into torchy pop terrain, but not so much so that it derails the album. Nice record -- hard country fans, take heed!
- Get Ready to Swing: This is a fun album with upbeat songs and Shelby Lynne's wonderful voice. Good music for when you are cleaning house or whatever.
- Hey now, little darlin; whatcha gonna do when I aint around?: This is an album that swings from start to finish. And it's a country album; Shelby Lynne's voice is right out front, soaring and aching like she does so well. It isn't buried electronically like on her more recent recordings.
I never tire of hearing this record. There aren't any bad songs; indeed, they all seem as if they'd fit on the radio. Particularly worthy are "When the Sun Goes Down," "Hey Now Little Darlin'" and "I Wish I Knew"--the latter a real heartbreaker. "I'm not the One" is a song about a woman in love with a man who still loves someone else: "She needs to know how much you miss the kiss..." It's a shame "Restless" isn't currently in print; I think it's easily her best recording. Well, I haven't bought the latest (Love, Shelby); the cover sure makes one think twice about buying, doesn't it? Shelby Lynne isn't Britney Spears and you don't want her to be. With such a great voice and feeling for a song, who needs the other? In any event, "Restless" is a great recording, well worth having. - A true classic!: I have owned this album since its release in 1995 and still love to play it. Shelby's voice is one of the strongest and most versatile in country or any other genre. It's a pity that although this CD received wonderful critical reviews, it failed to reach the commercial success that it deserved. I am glad to see that Shelby is now gaining success, even if it's in a different format. Hopefully Shelby will return to country music someday, or at least include a track or two on an upcoming CD. Slow Me Down is still one of my favorites (I even sing it at karaoke), as well as the swing-tinged songs Restless and Swingtown. A must for fans of not only country music, but of quality music overall!
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