Track Listing

1. Go With It
2. Where Am I Now
3. I Cry Everyday
4. You're The Man
5. Old Times Sake
6. I Won't Die Alone
7. You And We
8. Johnny Met June
9. You Don't Have A Heart
10. Iced Tea
11. Sleep
12. Track 12

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112325 in Music
• Released on: 2005-06-13
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Lynne's follow-up to 2003's Identity Crisis works the same sparse, moody territory, but if the title of the former spoke to her self-esteem at the time, Suit Yourself shows her being more confident in every way. Again acting as her own producer, Lynne took the demo tapes she made in her California home studio to Nashville, where she augmented her first-take vocals with guitar (the Wallflowers' Michael Ward), keyboards (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench), bass, drums, pedal steel, Dobro, and mandolin, employing those instruments merely as brush strokes on a wide-open canvas of voice and emotion. Throughout, Lynne strives to make the project so relaxed that a listener feels as if he's sitting cross-legged in the room--the first track begins with studio chatter, and elsewhere you can hear ice cubes clinking in a glass and the sound of someone pushing the stop button on a tape recorder. For those who prefer a more polished production, this fly-on-the-wall approach may be disconcerting, especially as the occasional track seems unfinished or a bit too rough, with an out-of-tune guitar or a rhythmic disconnect between singer and players. But ultimately, the album satisfies with the honesty and strength of the material, which ranges from Lynne's killer cover of guest Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" (here titled simply "Track 12") to the smoky groove of "I Cry Everyday," the wistful ballad "Old Time's Sake," and the Waylon Jennings-like "Iced Tea." Speaking of outlaws, "Johnny Met June," one of the most memorable tracks, details the Cashes' "meeting" on the far banks of the Jordan. Lynne wrote it the day Johnny died. --Alanna Nash

CD Description
'Suit Yourself' is the ninth studio album by Grammy award-winning country artist Shelby Lynne. Recorded with hand-picked band of seasoned musicians, 'Suit Yourself' is possibly Lynne's most intimate album yet, with her country-soul sound shining through on every track. Includes the tracks 'Where I Am Now' and 'Johnny Met June'.

Customer Reviews

Singing with herself
The title. SUIT YOURSELF, can mean a number of things. Yes, it can refer to selfishness. There may be a trace of vanity in this recording--especially when considering the two very odd numbers: the distinctly noisy and unpleasant opening, GO WITH IT, and the short and mystifying YOU AND WE. But, these two numbers amount to quibbles considering the quality of the rest of the cd. SUIT YOURSELF also refers to her ongoing search to avoid the pre-packaged and predictable and banal. In addition, the title also well describes the low-key, living room feel of many of the songs and the "caught in the middle of a rehearsal" sense of it all. That last use of SUIT YOURSELF is fairly important here. When listening, one gets a real sense of a work in progress and how such things are put together--i.e., getting the work to "suit yourself" (meaning Shelby, of course) and, in some cases, not finding the ideal solution. It feels spontaneous--partially an illusion, I know. Finally, of course, we are talking about the tough and tender Shelby Lynne, after all. It wouldn't be her if there weren't some strangeness, some wildness, and some lack of control. Fortunately, cigarettes and alcohol notwithstanding, her voice is as fine as ever--particularly intimate and moving on the many slow songs.

The two odd songs I mentioned above excepted, I like everything on this album. All of my favorites are quiet with minimal accompaniment but for a guitar, mandolin, dobro or piano. "Where Am I Now?, "Old Times Sake," "I Won't Die Alone," "Iced Tea," and "Sleep" are wonderful. When Shelby sings softly, she gets to me almost every time. Her smoky, delicate, twangy voice is irresistible on these numbers. Very simple and very moving. I liked but not loved "I Cry Everyday," "You're the Man" (an interesting take on her reaction to current events), "Johnny Met June" (maudlin but far from cliched), and "You Don't Have A Heart" (which echoes "If I Were Smart,"--that gorgeous number from IDENTITY CRISIS). Apparently, Shelby recorded the basic vocals in her living room and added much of the rest in the studio, including her own harmony work with herself. That often doesn't work but it does here. Shelby with Shelby with Shelby -- "suit yourself," again. The instrumental support is first rate and buoys this fusion of blues (a lot of blues), still a bit of R&B, and her alt-country sound. She's come a long way from commercial Nashville and good thing, too.

In case you thought I'd forgotten Track 12, no way! Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" is simply magnificent here. I wanted it to go on forever. Shelby's great singing, the jamming of her musicians. Wonderful! I left this album with that performance ringing in my head as were her moving words and sounds from "Sleep:"

SLEEP. PLEASE APPEAR.
SHOW TO ME YOUR FACE AND TELL ME IT'S OK TO REST.
SLEEP. HELP ME TRY.

Her best so far
What an amazing recording with brilliant songs recorded in such a way that you feel part of it. Shelby is one of the few who manage to get their music to you in a personal way via the down to earth approach. There's lots of small surprizes here....remarks made while recording backing vocals left in the mix and bracelet scraping guitar noises which make this a living and breathing CD not another "fully polished, clean-shaven, totally perfect....but dead on arrival recording" Well worth buying if you want an introduction to Shelby...essential for anyone who likes to hear good songs played on real instruments. Go for it!

Copyright!
A stonking classic from the troubled one. Her best ever. The fact that only the disc only works on my "bedroomed" laptop player(refuses to play on my HiFi) makes the whole affair more intimate.The copyright limitation will irk anyone from the i-pod generation.