Artist: Shelby Lynne
Album Title: Merry Christmas
Genre/Style: Country
Release Year: 2010
I was a big fan of Shelby Lynne’s 2008 release “Just a Little Lovin’”, a tribute and homage to Dusty Springfield. Some of that quality flows through to her new Christmas album, Merry Christmas, including a strange other-worldliness — Lynne sounds like she belongs in a a different era. I figured that would bode well for a holiday album, but there’s something missing here.
Part of my problem with the album is simply that it’s got one and a half feet in the country music domain. This is purely a matter of taste. I do not like country music. The “country-fication” becomes most pronounced on the few uptempo tracks like “Ain’t Nothin’ Like Christmas”, but most of the collection is smooth and low key. But it’s slight — even though there are eleven tracks, the album feels very short. Listen carefully to the whole thing, and you’ll hear Lynne paint a picture of a woman who badly misses Christmas as she experienced it during childhood. Ultimately, however, the cool, low blood pressure nature of the album makes everything blend together without distinction. It’s kind of boring.
Rating: 
Given my aversion to country music, I’d be more likely to grab a few selected tracks from this one than listen to the whole album again. But because none of the tracks really stand out, I’m not sure how I’d choose.
