Read that last sentence again: unlike country's conformists, Lynne has made I Am... a functional and artful song sequence, wonderfully paced and impeccably polished by producer Bill Bottrell. It starts out with the quick and beautiful "Your Lies," in which a radio-ready string section swells up to save Shelby's soul. That's a recurring theme on the album; each time Lynne's aching lyrics seem too much to bear ("I'm looking up for the next thing to bring me down"), along comes a Memphis-soul violin quartet to talk her back from the edge.

The next track, the spoken word assertion "Leavin'," fares less well, but the following four songs are melodic feasts, the kinds of songs that makes you literally angry that radio programmers are so single-minded. "Life Is Bad" even features some good ole' feet-stompin' on the downbeat; however, the title alone assures it won't even touch mainstream success. Consider the fervor created by the Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" for proof that even the slightest bit of darkness will cause Nashville to squirm.

The album peaks with "Why Can't You Be?," an amazing example of Lynne's songwriting craft and gift for melody. Then it sort of collapses, ending with a deliberately lugubrious four-song comedown, during which Lynne breaks out her best torch song moan to wrap things up. Three out of these four songs feature no drums at all, so they're clearly not radio bids, and they makes the album feel longer than its 36-minute running time. Her point is well taken, though: There's nothing wrong with picking and choosing which rules you want to follow. And with every rule she adheres to, Shelby Lynne breaks about three, beautifully.