The bare bass and brushed drums tiptoe in. Patty Griffin boldly lets out a blues-infused repetitive line: "You'll remember." And she's right.
We will.
On Griffin's fifth accomplished piece "Children Running Through," she parts the sad shroud and, with the help of producer Mike McCarthy, brews a 12-track R&B-, soul- and rock-infused pot.
Though known widely in the folk forum, Griffin's solid songcrafting and luscious melodies have attracted covers from the Dixie Chicks and, oddly enough, Jessica Simpson.
That shouldn't come as a surprise. All of Griffin's albums, from the acoustic-driven starkness of "Living With Ghosts" to the ethereal, richly layered "Impossible Dream," are delicately crafted and usually drastically different.
But "Children" tosses all of her musical styles into a blender. And, when she presses power, we're left with a melting pot of multiple personalities where Griffin sounds sad ("Crying Over"), saucy ("Getting Ready") and sweet ("Burgundy Shoes").
Lyrically, "Shoes" is simple. Griffin's intentionally juvenile lyrics drive a carefree cut of a mother and daughter, who signifies simplicity and innocence with symbols like the sun and shoes. From the girl's viewpoint, Griffin paints a fleeting, yet memorable, moment as the youngster calls her mother "the most pretty lady in the world." Her voice is hushed until she busts out with the gleaming repetition of "sun" over a bassline that gives the solo piano a soaring sound.
On lead single "Heavenly Day," equally as charming, subtle keyboards create a soothing slow-dance swaying song. "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)," a gospel-tinged tune referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s renowned speech, ignites with Griffin's disciplined vibrato and fuses with a touching falsetto. Emmylou Harris lends her smooth soprano to "Trapeze," where her voice and Griffin's go down as easy as cranberry and Vodka.
Acoustic guitar ditty "Crying Over" wouldn't seem out of place on her demo-ish debut. While "No Bad News," a politically charged tune (perhaps a Bush bashing?) with DeVotchKa ("Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack) influences, and "Getting Ready" – if more musically layered – would blend into her rocking "Flaming Red."
Each of Griffin's albums, whether she belted about the tragic suicide of a gay classmate ("Tony") or softly sang as a dying man regretting his life ("Top of the World"), retain her most powerful possession: her voice.
The same raw one that could melt ice.
Though songwriting remains rugged on "Children Running Through" (still, not as clever as on her previous outing, "Impossible Dream"), her voice, which appropriately breaks from breathy to bold, meanders through new pastures.
And it's one that simply doesn't run through them.
It stays.
NEXT WEEK: Exclusive Patty Griffin interview
