CD - Shelby Lynne: Just A Little Lovin'

This probably isn't an album for the die hard R&B fan. Lynne has never been that easy to pigeon-hole and, despite the superb and critically acclaimed "I Am Shelby Lynne", she's never really achieved 'mainstream success'. Maybe that's precisely because she doesn't fit a particular stereotype. The "I Am" album was a wonderful marriage of country and soul, appealing to fans in both camps but alienating just as many. But anyone whose listening extends to the country soul of artists such as Arthur Alexander and Solomon Burke and the more recent Country Soul Revue will find much to like in Lynne's recordings.

Which brings us to this outing, Lynne's tenth album and a 'tribute' to one of her favourite singers. Much, but not all of the material comes from the acclaimed "Dusty In Memphis" album. And let's be clear, label her however you want, Lynne is one of the most expressive and soulful singers out there at the moment. And this album is all about the voice, with production and arrangement both secondary to the performance. While so much modern R&B is overblown, repetitive and just plain dull, this is a masterclass in soulful singing. Someone once said country is as close to soul as a white singer could get - dubious though this reference might now be, it has merit when you listen to this.

Lynne did lose her way for a while after I Am Shelby Lynne, even getting just a little too close to mainstream pop and country. This is just her and the song, which is how it should be. 'Just A Little Lovin', 'Breakfast In Bed', 'I Don't Want To Hear It', 'How Can I Be Sure', the list goes on and there isn't a poor performance to be heard. No slavish recreation of Dusty's originals, everything here gets a fresh and largely understated take which works remarkably well. 'Pretend', Shelby's own composition, isn't too shabby either and stands comparison with the other tracks on the album. Let's hope the next album is full of original material of this quality.

As I said, not one for the straight ahead R&B lover, but everyone else should give it a try. It's a fine tribute, but it definitely stands up as a superb recording in its own right. It might just give her career the renewed exposure it undoubtedly deserves.