My game of Ulti was cancelled at the last
minute today, which was a bummer. Sure it ended up raining buckets, but playing
Ulti in the rain is fun too!
Instead, Sheila and I went for brunch at the
local pub. We then walked home, getting soaked as we sang various songs about
the rain including Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love
a Rainy Night” and ELO’s “Rain is
Falling”. It was a lot of fun even if neither of us has a voice that would
let us quit our day jobs.
This next artist has just such a voice.
Disc 1264 is… Patty Griffin (Self-Titled)
Artist:
Patty Griffin
Year of Release: 2019
What’s up with the
Cover?
Patty Griffin as Disney princess, with all manner of whimsical scenery around
her. This picture would have benefited from less dogs and more cats, but given
that the liner notes show Griffin giving these dogs lots of love in real life,
I expect she would disagree. O, Patty, I thought we were kindred spirits and
now I learn…you’re a dog person.
How I Came to Know
It: It
is rare these days for me to buy an album without listening to it first, but
for some artists I make an exception. Patty Griffin is one of those, so when I
saw she had released a new record I snapped it up.
How It Stacks Up: I have eight Patty Griffin albums. This latest
effort comes in at #8. Sorry, Patty – something had to be last, and this is it.
Ratings: 3 stars
Griffin is one of folk and country music’s
great singer-songwriters, and for over twenty years she has been making amazing
records. These records are hidden gems to her fans, with most of us wondering
in what world this talented lady is not more famous.
This record had all the things I love about Patty
Griffin – soulful songwriting and big powerful, emotive vocals – surrounded by some
stylistic choices that made me appreciate those things less than usual.
Griffin’s voice continues to amaze. She has massive
power and wraps it in sweetness and vulnerability. This has the effect of
snapping your attention to her narratives, but letting you sink gently into the
characters that occupy them. She is one of those rare talents who in four or five
minutes can make you feel what it would be like to live someone else’s entire
life.
Standouts in this category include the story of
someone abandoned as a girl by her mother on “Had a Good Reason” and the rusty resignation of a town that has
seen better days on “Where I Come From”.
Griffin incorporates Delta blues and early
jazz into some of the songs, and while I like the blues well enough, I’m not so
bothered about jazz. In any event, where she uses one or both on this record
they tended to be the songs I liked less. “The
Wheel” in particular dragged on for more than six minutes. I’m pretty sure Griffin
was using the repetitive style to evoke a mood, but despite the exemplary
playing it didn’t work for me. “What I Remember”
it felt like a smooth Harry Connick Jr. number, but while it was supposed to be
wan and wistful it gave me a bad combination of tired and fidgety.
The guitar work is brilliant as always.
Griffin is an accomplished player and is joined on this record by David
Pulkingham who is one of the instrument’s underrated masters. I’m not sure who
is responsible for the flourishes of Flamenco guitar on many of the songs, but it
is gorgeous regardless. Thanks to that person.
There are a couple of times that Griffin’s
vocals tend toward creating soundscapes over clarity of lyric. There’s no
denying the emotional power of it, but on songs like “Bluebeard” I had to strive to hear the lyrics. I already knew the
story, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to hear another telling of it. This lack
of vocal clarity was much worse when listening on headphones on the bus or
street, as opposed to at home in a more controlled environment.
This was generally true for the record, which
has a lot of nuance that is lost if you allow any background noise. After two
listens out in the world, I came into this review prepared to part with the
record, but hearing it in the quiet of my home changed my mind. I realized that
for all my minor frustrations, this was a solid collection of music and worth a
little shelf space after all.
Best tracks: Where I Come From, Had a Good Reason, Just the Same
No comments:
Post a Comment