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Get to know the great Shelby Lynne before her Dallas concert

Sixteen years ago, Shelby Lynne hit a "career reset" button of sorts.

The Alabama-raised singer-songwriter had already labored for a dozen years trying to connect with fans of traditional country music. While her voice lay right in the pocket for that sound, something unexplainable kept Lynne from hitting the heights of success and acclaim in Nashville.

With not much to lose at that point, the smoky-voiced performer threw any notion of format out the window and began to make the music that simply felt right. While that tack hasn't worked for everyone, it began a life-altering era for Lynne as an artist.

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The Bill Bottrell-produced 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne introduced us to a singer and writer with intense personal darkness and crackling wit. And despite the overall melancholy of the lyrics, the album's sounds amounted to uplifting countrified soul.

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You had the vintage rockin' soul of "Your Lies," the defiant goodbye of "Leavin'," the Dusty Springfield-worthy pining of "Dreamsome" and "Where I'm From." The music world went nuts over Lynne as her breakthrough album began to penetrate the masses, and eventually she was given the Grammy for best new artist. That was quite the punch line, considering her long road to success. She was an important artist, but she was far from new.

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Since her breakout, Lynne has continued to do whatever she dang well pleases, musically. That hasn't always made record labels happy - she's hopped around to different ones and even started her own - but her fans have yet to receive a clunker.

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After reaching for a slicker mix on 2001's Love, Shelby, she stripped everything down on 2003's Identity Crisis. On both those LPs and 2005's well-balanced Suit Yourself, Lynne continued to incorporate all the sounds she'd cut her teeth on growing up in the South. And she finally paid tribute to Springfield, one of the artists to whom she'd been most compared on the covers album Just a Little Lovin' in 2008.

From 2010's Tears, Lies, and Alibis through the recently released I Can't Imagine, the emphasis has been placed on Lynne's imagery-packed songwriting. Now that she's proved herself many times over, those who've stuck with her want nothing but her truest self.

We've recently become enraptured by a seemingly low-key track from the new album called "Son of a Gun." Its lyrics follow a day in a life from the moment of waking up - the self-destruction, the hope, the hard truths that go through anyone's mind are all there.

It'll be a packed but intimate environment when Lynne takes the stage at Dallas City Performance Hall on June 5. We'll be treated to new songs and favorite tracks from past releases. We're hoping she plays a big chunk of I Am Shelby Lynne. Its brilliance holds up more than 15 years after its big splash.

If you're thinking of tagging along with one of your Lynne-loving friends, check out this playlist of favorite tracks from the artist. If you've yet to discover her greatness, I'm jealous. You have a lot of listening to do.

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Follow Hunter Hauk on Twitter at @hausofhunter.