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Review: Shelby Lynne Sets San Francisco Ablaze

Singer delivers on promise of widely acclaimed I Am Shelby Lynne.

SAN FRANCISCO — Hot on the heels of the well-deserved buzz her new album I Am Shelby Lynne is creating, Alabama native Shelby Lynne took to her first visit to San Francisco with all engines gunning.

At a sold-out Bimbo's 365 Club (with Boz Scaggs and Bonnie Raitt bassist Hutch Hutchinson in attendance), the 31-year-old songstress kept the house transfixed all evening with her rockin' charmer of a voice, while her whip-smart band pumped up the groove in major fashion.

From the moment she took center-stage, attired in a sleeveless Johnny Cash T-shirt and black leather pants, and lit into the Rolling Stones–tinged "Should Have Been Better," Lynne had the room under her thumb.

(Click here for an image gallery of the show.)

Settling in comfortably with her new-found audience, Lynne told of getting thrown off a plane — apparently for not cooperating after being told to "shut up."

Obviously, the authorities in question didn't know who they were talking to. This is one voice that's meant to be heard. After making several albums and tiring of the Nashville music system, Lynne (born Shelby Lynne Moorer) has come into her own and has hit the mark with the songs she's written on I Am.

Onstage in San Francisco, she took those songs to a higher plane. "Your Lies" (RealAudio excerpt) let Shelby be the soul belter, while "Leavin' " (RealAudio excerpt) dug even deeper into a slow soul vibe before Lynne lifted the song to the heavens with her cries of heartbreak.

Songs such as "Life Is Bad" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Why Can't You Be" were complemented by the scorching guitar work of John Jackson (who's done tour duty with the likes of Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams) and the B3 organ played by Dan Eisenberg.

Jackson gets free rein in this band, and it's to everyone's benefit. His tear-it-up electric leads on the blues-driven "Only a Fool" were perfect alongside Lynne's soaring vocals.

The rhythm section of bassist Dave Meshell and drummer Bryan Head kept things solid and in the pocket all night, as Lynne caressed her voice over numbers such as "Thought It Would Be Easier" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Dreamsome," with background vocal help from Waylon Payne.

While reflecting on life in Nashville, Lynne introduced "Looking Up." "One of my favorite country songs," she said. "I just happened to write it." The gospel flavor added to this touch-of-twang, along with the Southern, swampy feel of "Where I'm From," showed off a talent for nimbly mixing disparate styles to great effect.

Songs like these and a voice like Lynne's are too special to be confined to one genre, and the crowd more than appreciated her eclecticism.

"Shelby rocks," declared Sue Lee, a flight attendant from Edmonds, Wash. "I listened to her album for three weeks straight and sung every word tonight."

Lynne delivered a one-two knockout punch for the show's closer and first encore. As one of two cover songs she'd perform, her take on Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" was nothing short of high-voltage electrifying. To follow that with John Lennon's "Mother" was something only an artist like Lynne could pull off. She's lived her own songs, and she's lived this one, too.

The rumbling under our feet during this number was not an earthquake. It was Lynne's heart shaking the room to its foundation via her voice.

"Between Shelby Lynne's voice and John Jackson's guitar, I felt privileged to something not experienced in most concert halls," said Bruce Wagman of Stinson Beach, Calif.

After her finale of "Black Light Blue," Lynne conveyed a sincere appreciation of the crowd with the promise of coming back. "Your asses better be here, too," she joked. No need to worry, Shelby. You can count on them being there. And you can count on more of them, too.

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