Shelby Lynne
I Can’t Imagine
Rounder
Shelby Lynne shouldn’t be hurried. Her earthy voice works best at a leisurely pace, indicating hard-won lessons of a world-weary heart as well as pleasures of the moment worth savoring. (Not surprisingly, one of her new songs bears the Zen-like title “Be in the Now.”) The thoroughly satisfying I Can’t Imagine features Lynne’s usual brew of down-home country, unadorned R&B, plainspoken folk, and passionate gospel, but what it really sounds like is her own unique self. Like the great Tony Joe White (Lynne’s spiritual kin), she’s created a fresh and distinctive language out of these familiar sources, spinning tales of longing and fulfillment that never feel less than genuine.
