1000 Kisses

Until recently, Patty Griffin was a name that turned up more in interviews with other artists as a respected writer and singer than in her own right.

She also turned up on some compilation albums (including “Down The Old Plank Road” with the Chieftains) and those tracks and the various mentions she received where enough to seek out her work. She had two albums released on A&M, neither of which brought her much commercial success, despite critical acclaim. She has also recorded two unreleased, to date, albums. So it is good to see her back, taking the indie route this time, with her new album.

1000 Kisses is more a stripped down affair than her last available album Flaming Red. It’s been four years since that release. Since that time female artists have gained greater dominance and roots music of all kind have gained a greater foothold. And as a writer she has two of her songs covered on the latest Dixie Chicks album Home. Her profile is higher now than it has been in the past, so what of this new album like?

The most immediate thing that stand out is the sheer power of her voice, an emotional instrument that is capable of matching the moods of her songs which can turn, at ease, from a whisper to something more powerful. And the songs are strong, though this promo copy has no lyric sheet or writer credits, which is a pity, they are literate and insightful, songs that deal with loss and a sense of hurt. Take “Chief”, a song that opens talking about the narrow options of an ex-soldier or the more whimsical ‘Making Pies’. Then there’s the outside songs like the traditional Mil Besos a romantic Latin-American song from which the title 1000 Kisses comes from. Or “Stolen Car” (the stand-out cut here for this writer), a Bruce Springsteen song that draws on the hard kind of urban reality that he excells at.

Throughout the music is acoustic and thoughtful. Subtle textures of guitar, accordion, piano, mandolin and percussion set the tones behind her distinctive voice.

The subtle variable moods of each of the song make for an diverse and interesting album, one that could easily find her an audience overdue in this country.