One of my favourite Country artistes, Nanci rarely disappoints.
Artiste: Nanci Griffith
Nationality: American
Album: The loving kind
Year: 2009
Label: Rounder
Genre: Country/Folk
Tracks:
The loving kind
Money changes everything
One of these days
Up against the rain
Cotton
Not innocent enough
Across America
Party girl
Sing
Things I don't need
Still life
Tequila after midnight
Pour me a drink
Chronological position: Nineteenth album
Familiarity: “Lone star state of mind”, “There's a light beyond these woods”, “Once in a very blue moon”, “The last of the true believers”, “Little love affairs”, “Storms”, “Blue roses from the moons”, “Flyer”, “Late night grande hotel”, “Other rooms, other voices”.
Interesting factoid:
Initial impression: It's like meeting an old friend you haven't seen for years...
Best track(s): Not innocent enough, Across America, Sing, Cotton, Up against the rain, Still life
Worst track(s): Non sequitur
Comments: I've had a deep and abiding love and respect for the music of Nanci Griffith ever since I laughingly read the liner notes on her album “Lone star state of mind”, only to have my mind changed and my prejudices given a good kicking as I realised how great the album was. That began a sequence of buying all her albums --- not all of which were perfect, it has to be said: some of her earlier work is a little hard to get into --- and a new appreciation for country music. She's been recording for almost thirty-five years, and this album, her nineteenth, shows her with no intention of slowing down.
She's not known for overly political lyrics, but this album changes all that with songs about Obama (
Across America), Bush (
Still life), the death penalty (
Not innocent enough), on which she duets with the great John Prine, and interracial love in the title track. She even throws in a reworking of
One of these days, which breathes new, fresh life into a song that graced her 1980 album “The last of the true believers”. There are of course the ballads --- what Griffith album would be complete without them? --- and
Up against the rain, a tribute to Townes Van Zandt, is the first of these, followed by the heartbreaking
Cotton, almost a folk traditional swaying anthem with some lovely accordion and a fine little guitar section.
Her first album of original material since 2005, “The loving kind” does not disappoint on any level. Of course, Nanci being Nanci it doesn't exactly break any new ground, never straying too far from her signature sound, the themes and tunes that have made her a star in country music, but that's no bad thing. Nanci has of course spread her wings before, covering folk standards on two albums, torch songs on another, and an album of her own material with orchestral arrangement, released over a decade before Peter Gabriel had the idea. So she can't be accused of not trying new things, but here, apart from the more openly topical, darker and more politically-motivated lyrics, she sticks to what she's good at.
Y'know something? It's been far too long. I see Nanci has a new album due out this year. Mental note to self: mark that for pre-order.
Overall impression: Great to reconnect with one of the greatest, and most underappreciated songstresses of our time.
Intention: Must go back and listen to some of her older stuff; this has put me in the mood. Now where did I put that vinyl copy of “Once in a very blue moon”...?