Shelby Lynne and Thunderstorms

I’m sure each of us can remember a show or concert where you experienced something beyond just a good night of entertainment.

Driving home from work that day, the dark foreboding clouds warned what lay ahead for the night; foreshadowing what was to come. Ignoring the hollowing winds and almost sideways rain, I ventured to the Granada Theater to see Shelby Lynne in concert. For eight years, I’ve loved her music. Remembering the first time I heard her album ‘I am Shelby Lynne’ at a HMV music store on Oxford Street in London. The first song on the album found it’s way into me and I’ve been a fan ever since.

There are those musicians who are so much better live than their studio album. This was one of those nights. Waiting for the show to start, a man sat on the stage with his guitar singing ‘Nashville Blues’. I couldn’t help but smile.. another troubadour in search of making it big in Music City. I had caught the end of his set and soon the curtains closed. Looking around, the place was not empty nor was it packed. I wasn’t sure what to expect of those who’d be there.. but was not surprised at the mix she brought- you can’t pigeon hole her music.. nor could you the audience she lured.

Alone I stood waiting for the show to begin ready to lose myself in the music. Not a moment later had the lights dimmed to signal the beginning.. the curtains were raised and there her band began to play… setting the mood, the crowd hushed, and Shelby came out. Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, she wasn’t dressed to impress- good for her. As when she opened .her mouth and began to sing, ‘the look of love.. is in the air.. and I can’t…. ‘ We were spellbound. Swaying back and forth, her hands reaching out, how she made singing look easy. She sang from her soul.

After a few songs, she began to speak with the crowd… you felt like you were in her living room.. she made you feel welcomed and comfortable as if we were the visitors. Her Alabama accent was enduring rather than obnoxious.

Singing Anyone Who Had A Heart you could hear a pin drop in the entire place. The rain began to come down hard and it only added to the atmosphere. She was having fun.. the musicians, each extremely talented yet left the spotlight for Shelby. She ended her second encore with her big hit, The Killing Kind.

Laying in bed later that night with the trees knocking on my window, I realized that the music of the night had taken me somewhere else.. some where deep inside. That is what music does. It has the ability to reach deep within, penetrating walls and striking at the very core of you.



Albums to check out:
I Am Shelby Lynne 2000
Suit Yourself
Identity Crisis
The Look of Love 2008 (Dusty Springfield covers)