"Just a little lovin' early in the morning. Beats a cup of coffee for starting off the day. Just a little lovin' when the world is dawning makes you wake up feeling good things are coming your way."
A few weeks ago I was invited to the Hiro Ballroom to see Shelby Lynne perform her new album Just A Little Lovin' from beginning to end. It was a very memorable evening and I was lucky to be there. Her new release is a collection of ten classic Dusty Springfield songs sung by one of today's best voices in popular music.
The lights went down, a spotlight came on hitting a single disco ball from above transporting the room and all those in it as the first notes of "Just A Little Lovin'" began. We were all transfixed. It was as if seeing Dusty herself take the stage. She went on to do such classics as "I Only Want To Be With You," "Anyone Who Had A Heart," "The Look Of Love" and one of my alltime favorites, "Breakfast In Bed." Her interpretations moved ever so slowly as if each line was more painful to express than the next. She had me completely in awe. It was a really amazing evening.
Now, lucky for all of us Just A Little Lovin' produced by Phil Ramone comes out this month. It is a truly beautiful album and the way she held me in a spell that night is perfectly captured here. It will be unlikely that this album will get traditional radio or video play, but it will hopefully finds its way through word of mouth. It's a perfect Starbucks album. She's already gotten a lot of press including the cover of No Depression and a full feature in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine. I'm confident that this album will find it's way to true music fans. Maybe it will also expose Dusty Springfield's catalog to a whole new audience. For a great collection of Dusty songs pick up Rhino's The Dusty Springfield Anthology.
She says that she wanted to do a Dusty album because she is a Dusty Springfield fan and a fan of these songs. She says, "Dusty Springfield was a soulful singer. You can't ever fill her shoes. So I just set out to sing songs we all want to hear again. The road map I followed when cutting these, was the one she made years ago. It was easy. I just sang and let the songs do the work. I'm so glad I did. Dusty inspired it all." By doing this album she's given us all the opportunity to listen to these great songs again. Thanks Shelby.
Just A Little Lovin' is on sale January 29.