If Americana is simple music that moves people, Griffin House is the epitome of it. House — a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter — has been making independent music for well over a decade. His latest EP, Songs for A Prisoner, features five songs recorded during a performance at a prison.
Could a middle-class singer-songwriter from Ohio relate to prisoners? As he told Kathy Sands-Boehmer in a recent interview:
“Times have changed, and whatever genre of music these guys like, it’s probably not me, not to mention the fact that when Johnny Cash arrived in prison, a lot of people knew who he was, and probably no one there will know my music.”
But the EP is proof that a good song trumps genres and stereotypes.
When House sings “The Way I Was Made” the crowd feels the song. They melt. Pure joy ensues when the crowd hollers, “Whoooaaaaa, it feels so good.” I get chills. This is the joy of music captured on tape — a rare feat.
The room sounds surprised when he sings “If the history books are right, none of us s white/in fact that means everyone’s blood is just the same.” The crowd erupts into howls of “Whoa!” House’s control is phenomenal.
Another highlight is the song “Judas,” which tells a story of evil from the perspective of the ultimate traitor. The room sounds still and quiet. I couldn’t help but wonder how this was taken in by a group of prisoners.
“Liberty Line” is another beautifully written song. The twist at the end moves the crowd. But, again, I wonder what it’s like to be deprived of liberty while listening to a song about the journey toward liberty. The context of this performance makes the song that much more effective.
On the opening track, “Go Through It,” the audience’s attention is again captured. When House sings, “Our hearts are one/and I know its true/you can never get around/ what you gotta go through,” it clearly means something different for them than it does for me. But I feel something just as they are feeling something. Somehow, there’s a bond not only between artist and audience, but audience and audience.
This album is pure Americana.
