Patty Griffin released a new single, “Where I Come From” which is a folksy tune coupled with melodic lyrics and a warm guitar backdrop. The song starts out with a light strumming guitar inviting you into what’s to come next. Griffin’s lyrics are powerful and deep. Her voice breaks in, “Where I come from is a land of many islands. Two rivers run to the east and to the west. Only to run far away as I could, as fast as I could get. No matter where I been, can’t escape who I am or forget. Where I come from, paint is peeling all the time. Winters long gets into your boots.”
Griffin is a singer-songwriter who plays guitar, piano and known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs have been covered by numerous musicians, including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, Rory Block, Dave Hause, Sugarland and the Dixie Chicks.
The self titled album, Patty Griffin is her 10th studio recording and first-ever eponymous LP. The album was recorded predominantly at Griffin’s home in Austin, TX, with Griffin and longtime collaborator Craig Ross co-producing, while the band is made up of a number of friends and frequent accompanists, including Ross, guitarist David Pulkingham, drummer/percussionist Conrad Choucroun, cellist Lindsey Verrill, pianist Stephen Barber, and Robert Plant, who contributes backing vocals to the LP’s “What Now” and “Coins.”
In 2007, Griffin received the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, and her album Children Running Through won the award for Best Album. She evokes emotion through the tone of her voice which floats along with the piano, and takes the listener along for the ride. Her ninth album, Servant of Love is unlike any of her previous albums. Its sound is driven by Griffin’s tone and the way she sings each track, and that paired with her choice of instruments and lyrics is what makes it her most creative work yet. You can pre-order the album now.
Griffin is from Old Town, Maine which is next to the Penobscot Native American reservation. The youngest child in her family, with six older siblings, she bought a guitar for $50.00 at age 16. She sang and played but had no inclination to become a professional musician. After a 6-year marriage, which ended in 1994, Griffin began playing in Boston coffee houses and was scouted by A&M Records, which signed her on the strength of her demo tape. When the finished studio recordings were submitted to A&M, the company executives thought it was overproduced, so producer Nile Rodgers and A&M instead released a stripped-down reworking of her demo tape as the album Living with Ghosts.
Patty Griffin Tracklist
1. Mama’s Worried
2. River
3. Where I Come From
4. Hourglass
5. Had A Good Reason
6. Bluebeard
7. What Now
8. Luminous Places
9. Coins
10. Boys From Tralee
11. The Wheel
12. What I Remember
13. Just The Same