‘Not Dark Yet’ review: Shelby Lynne, Allison Moorer’s sisterly project
Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer's "Not Dark Yet" is the sisters' first album together. Credit: Silver Cross / Thirty Tigers
SHELBY LYNNE & ALLISON MOORER
“Not Dark Yet”
BOTTOM LINE Gorgeous interpretations of unlikely entries into the Americana songbook.
Even though they are sisters working in the same field, Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer have always kept their distance from each other artistically.
It’s an understandable decision, but they sound so stunning together on their first joint project “Not Dark Yet” (Silver Cross / Thirty Tigers) that you can’t help but wonder what took so long. “Is It Too Much,” co-written by the sisters, is wrenchingly beautiful as Lynne and Moorer sing separately and together about sharing emotional burdens.
Though that’s the only original on the album, their harmonies turn Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms” into something completely new, making it sound like a more reverent prayer than the original. Their understated take on The Killers’ “My List” strips away the angst of Brandon Flowers’ original delivery, turning it into a straightforward, pretty love song, while their twisted harmonies on Nirvana’s “Lithium,” give the grunge classic an unexpected edge, even without Kurt Cobain’s shrieks or heavy guitar riffs.
Lynne and Moorer have made more than their share of great records separately, but their collaboration on “Not Dark Yet” takes them to a new artistic level.
