CD Reviews for 04/17/07 – Patty Griffin
Compact Capsules for 04/17/07
by Dan Ferguson
by Dan Ferguson
Patty Griffin
Children Running Through
ATO Records ATO0036
By virtue of the performance given on her last two albums (this latest and 2004’s Impossible Dream), here’s thinking that if Patty Griffin ever decides she wants to go gospel, she’d have absolutely no problem. For someone so diminutive physically speaking, Griffin possesses an awe-inspiring voice. Nowhere is that clearer than on her brand new release titled Children Running Through. On it she displays her vocal versatility proudly applying her impressive pipes to material than spans wispy jazz to folk rockers to gospel to soul shouters, all without missing a beat. The latter two styles, forever an inspiration for Griffin, have never been as prominent as they are on this release. Frankly speaking, on tracks like “Up the Mountain (MLK Song)” and “Heavenly Way” Ms. Griffin gets downright spiritual and in convincing fashion, I might add. Compared to previous albums, lyrically speaking Griffin opts for the lean, less is more approach for much of Children Running Through. Though, when she heads into storytelling mode as on the extended “Stay On the Ride”, she proves she as good a yarn-weaver as any of the elite contemporary songwriter set. And elite is exactly what Children Running Through is. In other words, an album with all the makings to position Ms. Griffin as arguably the toast of the contemporary singer/songwriter set. (www.atorecords.com or www.pattygriffin.com)
(Dan Ferguson is a free-lance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcast Thursday nights from 6 – 9 pm on WRIU-FM 90.3. He lives in Peace Dale and can be reached at [email protected].)