Artist suggestions please!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mike Hughes:
I have just bought Impossible Dream by Patty Griffin Now, anyone heard of her or have any comments? QUOTE

She was the third artist signed to Dave Matthews label ATO Records (after David Gray and Chris Whitely).

I agree she is excellent. Fortunate to see her in the summer of '02 in an intimate 600 seat theatre. Her band for that show was a keyboard/accordion player, a cello player, and a spectacularly subtle acoustic/electric guitar player named Doug Lancio (produced 1000 Kisses). It was a sublime evening of music.

Jeff A

Jeff,

Can we really be the only people here who love Patty?

I have been confined to only seeing her do six songs supporting Emmylou in Manchester a couple of years aga but a friend of mine utterly bewildered her by yelling for Sweet Lorraine all night at a gig she did in Buxton supporting Billy Bragg. She gave in and played it in the end but I guess both short gigs suggested that she really doesn't know that she has an audience in Britain thus the late release of every new albums.

I have to say that Impossible Dream is growing on me after all of three listens. It doesn't work very well in terms of sequencing and the versions of well known Patty songs have been bettered on earl;ier studio and live recordings I have heard but there's enough there for now. I suspect I shall keep coming back to it for some weeks yet.

As for the rest of you - start with Living With Ghosts and prepare yourself for another journey with an artist.

Mike

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike Hughes:
Jeff,

Can we really be the only people here who love Patty?

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Well, actually, a search shows a number of previous references, including jayd earlier on this thread (so far, then, that makes it
Oregon 2 UK 1 )

Haven't got the new one yet myself, but near the top of the to-buy list.

Jeff A

Jayd and Jeff,

I'm on listen number six now and I have to admit it's growing on me. I still think the sequencing doesn't work but there's some great songs on there.

Mike

Mike

Picked up "Impossible Dream" this morning and have played it twice. It seems pretty good roght off but methinks there are many subtlties there to be discoverede with subsequent listens. Nice to hear Lancio's beautifully understated guitar work, whilst allowing the diversity of another producer's take on Patty's music. The sequencing/varying styles reminds me a bit of the "flow" (or lack thereof, at times) of RLJ last, which continues to very slowly grow on me.

Saw Great Big Sea and Carbon Leaf (a promising band from Richmond VA that plays way way too loud yet still shone) in Pdx last night... a rousing night of music. GBS is not really my thing (but my wife loves it) but they certainly had the crowd in their hands.

Love weekends and all this listenin' time

Jeff A

I just ran through this thread quickly, but I think I remember seeing Joni Mitchell mentioned.

Having acquired her albums when modern reproduction meant 33rpm, what I have of hers is on vinyl. Everytime I want to evaluate the new addition of a piece of equipment or tweak, I reach for Miles of Isles. I usually find the audience noises on live albums off-putting, but this album is simply irresistable. Saw another thread the other day about re-issues of Joni's on HDCD, and it may just be time to duplicate my holdings on optical disc.

Thanks to all you other posters; I'm developing a shopping list as well.

Norman

Jeff,

Stick with it. It really is a grower. When It Don't Come Easy is the current fave. I'm also quite taken with the fact mine's a HDCD. Never a bad thing.

Mike

Get Joni Mitchel's "Hissing of Summer Meadows".

You could try Laura Nyro or Ellen McElwane, if you want to get more "folky"

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Craig M:
Get Joni Mitchel's "Hissing of Summer Meadows".


Hissing of Summer Lawns???

Patty Larkin is quite exceptional; she produces most of her albums herself and is more adept at it than most "dedicated" producers. Very good instrumentalist, too. My favourite albums are "Regrooving the Dream", "Strangers World" and "Perishable Fruit".

McKinley's first "proper" album, "Big Top Shop Talk", strangely went more or less unnoticed -- rarely have I heard anything as artful from the female singer/songwriter guild. Whacky production, haunting vocals, intelligent lyrics. No longer available from amazon itself, but marketplace sellers are flogging it for one cent.

Perhaps owing to the lack of commercial success she went and produced a -- by comparison -- uninspired second album last year.

Ani DiFranco is very prolific and a huge talent, a bit edgy at times -- you need to be in the mood, but when you are, it's a delight. My favourite album is "Little Plastic Castle". Her guitar playing puts the wanky fretboard-shredding metal boys to shame (because it's not just plain virtuosity, it makes musical sense too).

Thomas