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Shelby Lynne: Embassy Rooms, London ****

Lucy O'Brien, The Guardian, 27 October 1999

ONE OF THE new breed of US country crossover stars, Shelby Lynne doesn't have the smooth, invincible sheen of a Shania Twain or a Mindy McReady. The roots are showing in her dishevelled baby-blonde hair, she wears a leather halter-neck top and a studded leather wristband, and she moves onstage with a sensual swagger. With her lived-in voice and soulful grooves, 30-year-old Lynne has the offhand grace of a southern steel magnolia. Accompanied by six enthusiastic musicians dressed in music-industry black, she launches into 'Your Lies', a full-throttle collision of girl group purity and bluesy bar-room harmonies, and one of the strongest tracks on her latest album I Am Shelby Lynne.

Total word count of piece: 395

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