Thanks

Shelby Lynne has proven to be among the most headstrong artists in the music business. She does what she wants, on her calendar, depending on how she feels. This stubborn refusal to bend to the wishes of the business has only enhanced her reputation and led to several of her finest albums. *Thanks* is a precise five-song EP, recorded at Lynne’s Rancho Mirage home studio with coproducer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Peeler, drummer Michael Jerome, bassist Ed Maxwell, and the esteemed Maxine Waters on piano and backing vocals. “Call Me Up” takes us into the wilds of blues and gospel, as Lynne matches her spirited vocal with Waters’ gospel chorus and piano. “Walkin’” works similarly, capturing an old-world gospel feel with a production that remains true to the vintage sound it’s intent on capturing. “This Road I’m On,” however, is the EP’s stunner. The instruments create the feel of a foreboding vista that Lynne must put her head down and move toward. It’s not blues, gospel, or soul. It’s Lynne’s own vision: a sense of *Revelation Road* being bridged toward her next project.