Shelby Lynne hasn’t remained in one place for very long. It matters very little, however, whether the alterations to her style were driven by her own creative instincts or by the whims of the record labels for which she has recorded. The bottom line is that the twists and turns that she increasingly has taken with her work — as well as the ups and downs that went right along with them — aren’t terribly different from the pathways that Dusty Springfield had followed over the course of the 30-odd years she spent in the music business. In fact, coming in the wake of her 2005 effort Suit Yourself — on which she not only offered the country-soul tune I Cry Everyday but also collaborated with songwriter/guitarist Tony Joe White — Lynne’s latest sojourn Just a Little Lovin’ makes perfect sense.
Tackling nine songs that her predecessor had interpreted in her prime while adding one new composition, Lynne uses Just a Little Lovin’ to pay tribute to Springfield without completely copping the British interpreter’s hit-seeking approach. Although she draws mostly from Springfield’s foray into R&B — several of the album’s tracks were culled from the seminal 1969 outing Dusty in Memphis — Lynne’s country-imbued roots as well as her pop-oriented aspirations are never far from reach. The duo undeniably are kindred spirits, but Lynne subtly turns the tables by singing most of the material with an air of sad, desperate longing rather than one of tender seduction. Even the once-perky single I Only Want to Be with You is given a relaxed, melancholy framework.
Unfortunately, Just a Little Lovin’ never quite succeeds in its mission, though, at the same time, it also never completely fails. The problems with the album stem almost entirely from the arrangements that surround Lynne’s voice. It’s expected that they would be polished and precise, with each note fitting squarely into a predetermined and proper place. Nevertheless, there remains a lifeless, generic quality to many of them, and this inevitably sinks at least a portion of the affair. On You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, for example, the music is so polite that it sounds as if Lynne is conjuring Barbra Streisand rather than Dusty Springfield, and the umpteenth rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s The Look of Love might as well have been recorded by Diana Krall.
Tackling nine songs that her predecessor had interpreted in her prime while adding one new composition, Lynne uses Just a Little Lovin’ to pay tribute to Springfield without completely copping the British interpreter’s hit-seeking approach. Although she draws mostly from Springfield’s foray into R&B — several of the album’s tracks were culled from the seminal 1969 outing Dusty in Memphis — Lynne’s country-imbued roots as well as her pop-oriented aspirations are never far from reach. The duo undeniably are kindred spirits, but Lynne subtly turns the tables by singing most of the material with an air of sad, desperate longing rather than one of tender seduction. Even the once-perky single I Only Want to Be with You is given a relaxed, melancholy framework.
Unfortunately, Just a Little Lovin’ never quite succeeds in its mission, though, at the same time, it also never completely fails. The problems with the album stem almost entirely from the arrangements that surround Lynne’s voice. It’s expected that they would be polished and precise, with each note fitting squarely into a predetermined and proper place. Nevertheless, there remains a lifeless, generic quality to many of them, and this inevitably sinks at least a portion of the affair. On You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, for example, the music is so polite that it sounds as if Lynne is conjuring Barbra Streisand rather than Dusty Springfield, and the umpteenth rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s The Look of Love might as well have been recorded by Diana Krall.
There’s no doubt that Just a Little Lovin’ was designed specifically to showcase Lynne’s commanding vocal presence, and fortunately, it largely achieves this goal. Sounding a lot like the version of Joss Stone that was revealed on The Soul Sessions — as opposed to the overly emotive diva that has turned up ever since — Lynne delivers the title track and I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore with stunning perfection, her voice standing in sharp contrast to the generally unsupportive music.
The highlights of Just a Little Lovin’, however, are Breakfast in Bed and Willie and Laura Mae Jones, during which the arrangements finally engage Lynne directly. Sliding neatly into the middle of the set, these tunes provide an indication about how much promise was left unfulfilled, and they leave the listener to ponder what might have happened if Lynne had attempted to interpret Silver Threads and Golden Needles or Son of a Preacher Man. Indeed, Just a Little Lovin’ might have fared better if Lynne and producer Phil Ramone had favored inspiration over reverence.
The highlights of Just a Little Lovin’, however, are Breakfast in Bed and Willie and Laura Mae Jones, during which the arrangements finally engage Lynne directly. Sliding neatly into the middle of the set, these tunes provide an indication about how much promise was left unfulfilled, and they leave the listener to ponder what might have happened if Lynne had attempted to interpret Silver Threads and Golden Needles or Son of a Preacher Man. Indeed, Just a Little Lovin’ might have fared better if Lynne and producer Phil Ramone had favored inspiration over reverence.
(Written by John Metzger)
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