Dear Ms. Levine:
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I have been a fan of Lynne Jordan and the Shivers since seeing them perform for the first time in June of 1995. I have gone out of my way to find out where she and the band have performed at every opportunity. Every performance has been stellar. Every time I have seen them perform before a crowd they completely rocked the house. The applause and enthusiasm for them is always huge no matter what the venue. I have yet to meet someone at one of their performances who has had anything negative to say about any part of their show. Where has Mr. Dahl been that he observed anything else?
Furthermore, I have an excellent source who has informed me Mr. Dahl has a personal vendetta against a former member of the band and has exposed his personal bias. According to this source, Mr. Dahl has never even been to see the band play! In addition to that, he has lowered himself to plagiarism. Part of his review was not only inaccurate, but taken from another story done about Ms. Jordan. He stated that “the music in her overworked repertoire seems to emanate from no place deeper than her campy [sic] vintage costumes.” I have been to over 100 performances of Ms. Jordan’s. I have never seen her in a costume. She has on a few occasions used a boa as a prop in a song or two, and I have seen her wear a beaded hat once, never a costume. Other than that, Ms. Jordan dresses in simple black dresses most of the time. He got this idea from a note that was made about her a few years ago in another publication, which went on to compliment her style and singing. This is further evidence that Mr. Dahl has not actually even sat through an entire set of Ms. Jordan’s music.
I’ve seen Jordan’s act several times, at Blue Chicago (when it was still on State Street), Buddy Guy’s Legends, and Taste of Chicago. As for your perplexing accusation of plagiarism, I have witnessed with my own eyes Jordan wearing campy costumes–certainly no sin, just my observation. Furthermore, her own press biography giddily confirms her use of such vintage stage gear. It’s true I once knew a member of Jordan’s band, but he passed away about a year and a half ago. After 21 years of covering the local blues scene you get to know everyone at least a little, and I try to be careful about not letting personal feelings factor into my reviews.
