"I've made records for 20 years and never been more excited," says Lynne, who has released 10 studio albums in that period, including her 2000 breakthrough, I Am Shelby Lynne. "I finally have the creative control I've needed to get my vision out there."

"Shelby has always been a true original," stated Ron Spaulding, President of Fontana. "She stands atop the list of innovative songwriters and soulful vocalists. Tears, Lies, And Alibis is a stunning and true revelation by one of the world's most insightful and unpredictable artists. The entire Fontana family is thrilled to be part of the next chapter in an already critically-acclaimed career."

While Tears, Lies, And Alibis signals increased independence for an artist already known for defying tradition, it was shaped by those close to her, who encouraged Lynne to venture down paths she might not have otherwise explored. "Loser Dreamer" was triggered by a phone conversation with Brian "Brain" Harrison, who engineered the sessions and played bass, Moog and percussion. Their talk about musicians and relationships ended the dry spell she'd been experiencing as a songwriter.

"Rains Came," the album's first song and lead single, came about in an equally organic fashion, inspired by a rare storm in the Southern California desert where she resides. As the rain fell one Sunday morning, Lynne, who misses the Southern rainstorms of her Alabama childhood tremendously, resisted the impulse to go outside and stand in it and grabbed a pen instead. The resulting song, with Randy Leago on horns and Val McCallum on guitar, is perhaps the sunniest sounding one ever written about having the blues. "The dark side of me seems to like how it feels when it's pouring," she sings with unabashed exuberance. Like "Something To Be Said," her ode to the iconic Airstream trailer, it's a song that might not have made the album if her collaborators hadn't encouraged her to "give it a whirl."