CD Odyssey Disc 1291: Patty Griffin

Last month marked ten years of me writing music reviews. The time has flown by, and while some days I look forward to writing an entry more than others, I never regret the journey. The CD Odyssey has helped me appreciate my music collection in a more mindful way. It has also helped make music a centerpiece to my day, and not just part of the background. I’ve got hundreds of albums still to go but I never worry whether I’ll get to the end; the journey is what matters.

Disc 1291 is… Impossible Dream

Artist: Patty Griffin

Year of Release: 2004

What’s up with the Cover? Patty in petticoats, holding time in one hand and a miniature sun in the other. No wait, she’s just plucking at her outfit – that miniature sun is just floating nearby. That seems marginally safer, although there is still a real risk of a bad burn. Also, there is a kite. I assume she lost it while she was adjusting her dress. I suppose holding three things in only two hands was, in fact, an impossible dream.

How I Came to Know It: This was just me digging through Patty Griffin’s back catalogue to see what I liked.

How It Stacks Up:  I have eight Patty Griffin albums. Of those eight, “Impossible Dream” ranks #5.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

My only regret listening to “Impossible Dream” is that I didn’t love it more. This is objectively a great record, and if it only connects with me intermittently then the fault is mine, not Patty Griffin’s.

This defines Griffin’s career for the most part. She is a gifted singer, with the voice of an angel come to earth and bemoaning the hard landing. On “Impossible Dream” she sings with the soul of a gospel soloist, and the lilt of a travelling troubadour. Both sides of that coin are filled with power and a brassy edge that feels just a bit uncomfortable in being too personal, and too filled with pain. She manages to combine this raw and reckless delivery with perfect pitch and tone.

Her songwriting is brilliant but not for everyone. The Dixie Chicks have recorded her songs (including “Top of the World” from this album) but that’s because they have their own vocal powerhouse in Natalie Maines and can get away with it. Make not mistake, though, while these songs have some incredible and innovative melodies they are not for the faint of heart. If you’re not Natalie Maines, I suggest just sitting back and listening.

You’ll be well rewarded if you do. Griffin’s original version of “Top of the World” is like the Dixie Chicks’ version but with even more hurt and regret. What’s it about? I don’t know for sure. Blue collar regret, or just wishing you’d done more for your loved ones while you still had the flush of youth and health. Whatever the story is, Patty Griffin will damned well break your heart tell it to you.

The best song on the record is “Useless Desires.” This song is for when you realize all those dreams of youth are likely never going to come true, and the people you love might one day be gone. It is a song tragic for its despair and surrender, but also accepting that sometimes things just don’t work out. When Griffin belts out the chorus:

“How the sky turns to fire
Against the telephone wire
And even I'm getting tired of useless desires”

You can feel the sun going down on hope, even as the jangling strum of Griffin’s guitar throws in the subtle hints of forward movement. The song intimates that sometimes you’ve got to say goodbye to one dream to find the next one. It’s a cold comfort, but a hell of a good wallow, and the way Griffin hits the high notes will leave you with the impression that her angel will yet make it back to heaven, broken wing and all.

Like a lot of Griffin’s albums, she is not afraid of making different decisions to serve each individual song. Sometimes it’s a single guitar, sometimes a bit of string and sometimes a piano, and she has a knack for picking the right approach.

There are some songs that are so adventurous melodically that they lose me a bit, but even those songs are buoyed by Griffin’s vocal prowess.  The standouts on the record blew my mind and the lesser tracks are delivered with such emotional honesty they left me feeling guilty I didn’t like them more.

In the end this is a powerful record from an artist who has never gotten the accolades she deserves as one of the spiritual leaders of Americana music. Hell, even I put this record at #5. Sorry, Patty.

Best tracks: Cold as it Gets, Useless Desires, Top of the World, Rowing Song, When It Doesn’t Come Easy