Barbara Lynn

Barbara Lynn

With Barbara Lynn, what you see is what you get. The left-handed guitarist from East Texas hit the big time in the Sixties with her composition "You'll Lose a Good Thing." Lynn has done plenty of fine work since, notably her Antone's release Hot Night Tonight in 2000, and now she's back on the local Dialtone label. Blues & Soul Situation is a no-frills description of the Gulf Coast rhythms she grew up with, shaped by her years with Atlantic Records. Lynn's secret is that she keeps her music simple. The return of her signature "I'm a Good Woman" is good not just for the soul, but the heart, as is Lazy Lester's hip-shaking "Sugar Coated Love" and the soulful Seventies of "Movin' on a Groove," one of six songs she wrote on the album. Considering that her backing musicians include Nick Connelly, Clarence Pierce, Matt Farrell, Bill Campbell, and Kaz Kazanoff, it's no surprise Lynn pumps out high-octane blues and smoky soul ("Matt's Hatt," "You Don't Sleep at Night," "Long Gone"). "You Make Me So Hot," remakes of "He Ain't Gonna Do Right" and "(Until Then) I'll Suffer," and the belly-rubber "I Got Love if You Want It" are ageless grooves rendered with a grace and integrity that makes Barbara Lynn so special. Kudos to the Dialtone label for another in a series of offbeat, on-target, well-made albums.