Unless an avalanche of incredible music comes out in the last 7 months of the year, Shelby Lynne's Suit Yourself is assured a place in my top ten. I never really got all the hoopla surrounding her 2000 release I Am Shelby Lynne. I thought it was too produced, and too close to Nashville's new country dreck, despite the protestations of bamboozled alt.country critics eager to claim her as one of their own. Suit Yourself finally makes good on that call. Gone is the shimmering reverb and the studio shellac, and it their place we have down-home back-porch blues, country/folk and old school R&B crooners. Simple, good music.

On an unrelated note, Asher woke up just before I left for work today, so I got to say goodbye to him. Even though I normally don't see him during the week (he wakes up after I leave for work and goes to bed before I get home), it was hard to know that I'm going to be in a different state (Michigan) than him for the next two days. I've really become attached to the kid. Smiling, pouting, crying, munching placidly on his hand... I'll take it all.