Touch Definitive

The Definitive Collection Review by Mark Deming
Shelby Lynne started her career as a promising mainstream country singer and today she's a critically respected and genre-defying singer/songwriter; charting the trajectory of her career isn't a simple matter, and Lynne's installment in Hip-O's The Definitive Collection isn't entirely successful in doing so, though it's still an admirably thorough look at her work to date. The Definitive Collection starts out with five tunes from Lynne's years with Epic and Morgan Creek, and on these songs one can almost hear the strain as she struggles against the cookie-cutter production and cut-rate songwriting that Nashville was foisting upon her, though the strength of her voice and soulful touch of her phrasing still shines through. Seven of the ten songs from 2000's I Am Shelby Lynne follow, and the difference is like night and day – not only is the production far more imaginative and sympathetic, but the songs (all written or co-written by Lynne) are smart, heartfelt, and personal in a way her previous work had never been.

Take your ProtoPie skills to the next level

Greatest Ever Seventies Pop serves up 3CDs of bona fide 1970s pop gems. A veritable funfair ride through glam, bubblegum, soul, ska, balladry and more, it represents the facets of an era that shaped much of the pop music we listen to today, so go back and see how it was done!
The tracklisting includes all the essential '70s artists including Slade, Mud, T-Rex, Blondie and many others.