Patty Griffin - Silver Bell
by Carl Bookstein
published: 10 / 1 / 2014

Label:
A and M Records
Format: CD
intro
First-rate album from acclaimed Maine-based singer-songwriter Patty Griffin, which originally recorded in 2000 has only now been released
Heralded folk singer songwriter and Americana angel Patty Griffin recorded ‘Silver Bell’, her last album for A&M Records, circa 2000. Some 13 years later it is finally being released. The album opener ‘Little God’ begins with soft tones and Griffin’s moving earthbound vocals. The album’s rich and heartfelt sound encompasses styles that include country as well as folk and Americana. The U.S. songwriter from the state of Maine has been covered by Emmylou Harris and the Dixie Chicks. ‘Truth #2’ begins with an easy acoustic guitar strum. Evoking the American South and philosophically contemplating love and more, the music is down home and straight up, with lyrics that are bold and honest. “You don’t like the sound of the truth coming from my mouth,” she tells the listener. ‘Boston’ is an earnest rocker with the accent on guitar and drums. ‘Sooner or Later’ is a tender evocative number that brings to mind the bluesy rock of Bonnie Raitt. ‘What You Are’ is moody and haunting with a fine lyric: “Always waiting for my lucky day over and over every patch of grey.” The title track ‘Silver Bell’ makes the album. The tune is all out rock with a great vocal and a blistering pace, as Griffin sings poignantly about motels and the travelling life: “I hate to tell you baby/This is home.” Griffin is clearly a thoughtful songwriter, capturing her Americana tinged personal world. Her stories include looking back at age eighteen and moving to Florida, like everyone sick of the cold. ‘One More Girl’ tells a tale of looking for true love. ‘Top of the World’, with its soft piano tones, is a story of a mournful songbird: “I wish I’d have shown you all the things I was on the inside.” ‘So Long’ is the easy closer on an often quiet understated album, with the track ‘Silver Bell’ its rocking high point.
Track Listing:-
1 Little God2 Truth #2
3 Boston
4 Perfect White Girls
5 Sooner Or Later
6 What You Are
7 Silver Bell
8 Fragile
9 Mother Of God
10 One More Girl
11 Sorry And Sad
12 Driving
13 Top Of The World
14 So Long
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/PattyGriffinhttp://www.pattygriffin.com/
https://twitter.com/pattygmusic
https://www.pinterest.com/pattygmusic/
https://instagram.com/pattygmusic/
https://www.youtube.com/user/pattygriffinsongs/
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