[rating=4.00]
By now you probably know Patty Griffin as a talented singer/songwriter through her connections with Emmylou Harris and The Dixie Chicks or her timeless albums like Impossible Dream, 1000 Kisses, or Living With Ghosts. And although Harris does appear on the flaming red head’s new album, Children Running Through, on the soft “Trapeze,” it’s only Patty Griffin who you’ll remember after the disc is finished playing.
To say this is Griffin’s best overall work would be difficult only because of her legendary material released up to this point. It is possible though that her singing on Children Running Through does outdo her previous recorded efforts, simply because it magnanimously steals the spotlight with stunning confidence. Griffin uses her voice flawlessly over twelve songs, painting her gifted sound with blues, jazz, gospel, rock, and folk, highlighted by the gentle piano of “Burgundy Shoes,” the spiritual “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song),” and the happy freedom of “No Bad News.” On “I Don’t Ever Give Up,” Griffin sings, “Love isn’t here, but it’s somewhere;” on Children Running Through, it’s everywhere.
