In concert: Shelby Lynne at the Birchmere

Shelby Lynne made misery sound appealing at the Birchmere on Tuesday. (All photos by Kyle Gustafson/FTWP)

By Juli Thanki

Misery never sounded as good as it did coming from Shelby Lynne Tuesday night. The country-soul singer charmed the Birchmere crowd with her molasses-thick Alabama accent and such wry song introductions as, "I'm sending this out to anybody who's never been a stranger to brown liquor," even as her songs told of wronged women and love gone bad.

(A voice worth staying out late for, plus more pictures after the jump.)

Much of the 90 minute set was material from her new album "Tears, Lies, and Alibis." The laid back "Something to be Said," in particular, received an enthusiastic response as Lynne compared the iconic Airstream trailer to "a Van Gogh or a Picasso." Rounding out the set were a few standouts from past albums including "Where I'm From" and alt-country weeper "Johnny Met June" Musing "Sometimes you run into folks who cause you to have to write a song about them," she deadpanned the first line of "Buttons and Beaus" to raucous laughter: "Your mama's a whore."

Backing Lynne was top notch guitarist John Jackson, who delivered bluesy solo after bluesy solo throughout the night, with his best work on the gritty "Life is Bad." Though backed with guitar and bass, Lynne's voice alone was more than enough to fill every corner of the Birchmere. Sometimes throwing her head back and belting, sometimes singing in a voice as soft as a caress, she was, quite simply, captivating. After closing her set with a stunning version of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," Lynne returned for an encore, remarking "Thank you so much [for coming out] on a school night!" For the chance to hear a voice like hers, it's worth losing a little sleep.