Patty Griffin’s New Album Is Half-Bad
Mike Seely
Posted On September 23, 2015
Patty Griffin’s voice—so pure, moving and ethereal—is an American treasure, ranking alongside those belonging to Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss. With mainstream superstars lining up to record her tracks, Griffin is also one of our finest songwriters, rivaling the lyrical depth of a Lucinda Williams, James McMurtry or Jason Isbell. She’s got the goods and then some; in fact, she might be the perfect Americana artist.
Like Griffin, Michael Jordan was about the best at what he did during his days playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls, with whom he won six NBA titles. But in the first game of Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic in 1995, Jordan turned in an indisputably awful effort, finishing with as many turnovers as he did made buckets (eight). His Bulls lost both the game and the series, proving that even those at the top of their profession occasionally misfire.
Griffin’s new album, Servant of Love, is her Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals. The first half of the album is low-energy and forgettable, burying Griffin’s voice beneath a confusing sea of dirgy brass and pointlessly experimental melodies. Griffin’s too good at being Griffin to morph into a second-rate Regina Spektor; she should leave that sort of preciousness to the kids.
While failing to stock an album’s first seven tracks with even a single decent song is a mortal error, if you stick with it long enough, you’ll find that Servant of Love contains an EP’s worth of very good material. “Rider of Days,” “You Never Asked” and the album-closing “Shine A Different Way” are vintage Griffin cuts, reminding you that she’s still got whatever she chose to abandon on that sucky septet of earlier tunes, while “There Isn’t One Way” and “Noble Ground” show her versatility without feeling forced.
Jordan was still the Bulls’ leading scorer in that awful game against the Magic, and proceeded to win three consecutive NBA titles in the years that followed. So not to worry: The Griffin you love is still more than capable of earning it, and she’s prolific enough to make you forget about a bad outing in no time.
