Patty Griffin - Living With Ghosts
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Free Music Notes for Living With Ghosts
Free Music Review: Yes,Put Out That Fire In Your Head
Hit: 5 Stars
Frankly, I do not spend much time reviewing some of the most contemporary folk artists on that scene today, although I am vitally interested in where that music is going, and who will keep the folk flame burning. Part of the reason for my neglect is, to paraphrase a somewhat famous folkie from the 1960s folk revival; it is "hard to get worked up about lyrics complaining that the family Volvo is not available or the foibles of a school vacation trip to the Swiss Alps." (Real lyrics, believe me.) No question that much of the current scene when not just plain 'jailing' lyrics into some "politically correct" form in order to offend no one or nothing tends to those trivialities.
But not all current folk (or folk rock, which is closer what the current genre should be called) performers are out there mainly to merely to not offend as the artist under review, Patty Griffin amply proves. And it does not hurt that she spent some time as a waitress (ah, waitperson) in hallowed Harvard Square in Cambridge and some time singing on those hard street corners in order to hone her skills. This woman "speaks" to me. Any one who puts out a lyric "put out the fire in your head" (from the final song on this CD, "Not Alone") tells me I had best listen up because some kind of hard- learned truth is aborning. And it was, and is.
This is another one of those albums not for the faint-hearted as the above-mentioned "Not Alone" demonstrates. But Patty also speaks of dysfunctional family, sibling rivalry, loneliness, loneliness in the struggle trying to get a break, fear of failure, and fear of the pratfalls of success. In short, just those kinds of things that made me pay attention in the old days when that cranky 1960s folk revival was aborning. Listen up as the torch gets passed.
Free Music Review: one of my favorite albums of all time
Hit: 5 Stars
I first listened to Patty Griffin and this album in 1999, I think, and it immediately became one of my all time favorite albums. This one wasn't cranked off the assembly line -- it is nothing if not unique. If you are a poet, even just a poet at heart, you will appreciate the raw emotion in her lyrics, as well as her delivery of the lyrics. Her voice isn't perfect, and that is part of what makes the album perfect as far as I'm concerned. Hers are not cookie cutter songs. Instead, I like to think she writes her songs as a way of being true to herself rather than as a hopeful appeal to the masses. When listening to good music that is being sung by someone who did not write what they are singing, I always wonder about the motives of the person or people who wrote the song. What was their intent? Were they driven to espouse some intense internal anguish, desire, or joy? Or did they just look around at what was selling at the time and try to write a song that would fit the mold and be a hit? You'll never ask that when listening to Patti sing on this album. Listening to this album is like reading a riveting, complex book that stays with you long after you've closed the cover. You'll go back to it time and time again and each time you immerse yourself in it you'll come away with a little something different. I highly recommend this album.Free Music Review: Less is definitely more
Hit: 5 Stars
Patty Griffin got to the bone on this one... it was her first release, and apparently it wasn't even supposed to be released in the form it was. Well, in spite of a few reviews about "completing" it - this is a testament to the principle of "less is more". There is nothing here except Patty's incredible, wrenching, haunting voice and her often melodious, often percussive, always intense guitar. This CD reminds me of the true Flamenco art of Southern Spain - nothing but guitar and voice - two very different types of music but equally powerful, using those most elemental instruments.
In an age of overproduced, bombastic rock and four measure pop hooks, this is a treasure that was never really supposed to sound like this in the first place. It is one of my "desert island" CDs, up there with Joni Mitchell's Hejira, Dylan's Desire, Emmylou Harris' (well, her entire catalogue)... this CD is that good. "Moses", "Every Little Bit", "Sweet Lorraine" and "Poor Man's House" are the standouts for me, but there is nothing weak on this album.
Yeah, she yells now and then - but hey - if you want smooth, safe, sanitized predictable pop - walk away right now. This is a provocative, determined, sexy, howling tour de force torn from the bottom of that woman's very talented soul.
Free Music Review: Raw Emotion
Hit: 5 Stars
Listening to this recording is like having Patty Griffin in my living room singing just to me. It is that powerful. You've heard all about the stripped down production, the simplicity, and the honesty. There are no drums, no bass, and no keyboards. It is just Patty - her voice and an acoustic guitar. But I am telling you, her voice is an instrument that brings layers to these songs like a finely tuned orchestra. It comforts you in songs like "Let it Fly" and "Not Alone". It taunts and scolds you in "You Never Get What You Want" and "Every Little Bit". It brings you to tears on "Forgiveness" and "Sweet Lorraine". It brings you down in "Moses" and "Poor Man's House". It lifts you up in "Time Will Do the Talking". It inspires you with "Mad Mission". I have been listening to this CD non-stop since I purchased it 2 weeks ago. Everytime that I think I have worn it out, I put it back on and discover a new inflection or a new phrase or a new effort in her voice to communicate her soul. To the skeptic who may be thinking about this: There is not one filler song on this recording. Simply one of the finest albums in my collection. You will be moved. You will be touched. And you will not be disappointed.Free Music Review: Best Lyricist Of The New Crop Of Female Singer-Songwriters
Hit: 5 Stars
It's surprising that she's so modest about her writing, because the lyrics to this album and to a lesser extent "Flaming Red" (less country tinged, more Lilith-pop, and much less soulful) are so powerful, sophisticated, and genuinely poetic compared with the florid, hokey sap coming from so many other contemporary folkies. Really the best lyricist I've heard in a long time. Smart. Heartfelt. The weakest tracks on this album are probably "Time Will Do The Talking" and "You Never Get What You Want." The rest are stunners. She's got a raw, searching, and freakishly muscular voice that more than makes up (in songs like "Not Alone," "Forgiveness," "Sweet Lorraine," or the standout track "Mary" from the new album, not to be confused with the equally brilliant "Regarding Mary" from the new "Niagara, Niagara" soundtrack) for its occasional overenthusiastic delivery (on "Moses" fo! r example, or "Wiggledy Fingers" from the new album). She's the real deal: a songwriter with a searing voice who sounds like she can actually write.