Shelby Lynne does things her way

It’s hard to tell whether the underlying emotion in Shelby Lynne’s voice is bitterness or resignation, but whatever emotion drives her ambition is masked in her music. After 20-plus years of label hopping, negotiating and fighting the “system,” the incredibly temperamental and talented singer-songwriter has finally started her own Everso Records label, where she can write, record and release exactly whatever she wants to.

Lynne worked the Nashville machine for years with limited commercial success and little personal satisfaction, but she finally found her identity and declared her uniqueness in the groundbreaking 2000 release “I Am Shelby Lynne.” Subsequent releases were hit or miss, but when she was allowed to call the shots, the product stood out. Following the critical success of 2008’s “Just a Little Lovin',” a tribute to Dusty Springfield, Lynne delivered her newest batch of original songs to the executives at Lost Highway Records. She did not get the response she wanted.

In a recent phone interview during a drive through Washington state, Lynne talked about her new record, “Tears, Lies, and Alibis,” and the business decisions behind its release. “The label didn’t want to release it as is," she said, so she decided to release it herself.

"So I formed a label," she said. "In the first week of release it has sold as well as the last one did.”

Her disdain for the Music City music industry is strong.

“I worked in Nashville for over 20 years, and the only thing that has changed is there is more of it," Lynne said. "Money has ruined the art. I won’t ever do any of the songs I recorded over 10 years ago. That material was not what I wanted to do, and I have no emotional attachment to the old songs.”

“Tears…” is a concise collection of 10 deeply personal and insightful songs loaded with both literal and allegorical meaning. Lynne is proud of the work and reflects on the power of the songs.

The opening cut, “Rains Came,” stemmed from a touch of homesickness. “I like the rain, and being a Southerner I was used to it. Now that I live in California, rain is rare.”

The only real “country song” on the album is “Old #7,” an ode to the comfort of Jack Daniels whiskey. “I love country music if it is ‘traditional,’ " she said. "They would never have let me cut that song in Nashville.”

The vaguely autobiographical “Family Tree” takes on a somber tone in light of Lynne’s own tragic family history, as both parents died in a murder-suicide many years ago. She is reticent to discuss the song. “Just listen to the lyrics,” she said when asked about it. “It will tell you the story.”

Whereas many artists would be experiencing panic without the support of a national record label, Lynne sees it as liberating. “I now have the freedom to do what I want and to actually make a living," she said. "It is my time, my money, and I work with the people I choose. I want to do stuff that stands the test of time, and this is just another chapter in what I do. I am ready to make some records.”

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