Music DVD Review: Patty Griffin - Live From The Artist's Den

Patty Griffin seems to inhabit a timeless era in her recordings. Each record sounds as if it could have been recorded either yesterday or 50 years ago, as a mix of immediacy and classic songwriting happily co-mingle from song to song. She is often described as a singer's singer or a songwriter's songwriter, which is just a fancy way of saying that she's good.

However, this timelessness also creeps into her release schedule. For many fans, it feels like an eternity that they've been waiting for a proper concert recording of the lady herself. Seeing Patty Griffin live is one of life's little joys, so the new DVD Live From The Artist's Den is good news indeed.

The set list for the recording is evenly split between tracks from her latest record and past favorites. As the concert was recorded on the eve of the release for Children Running Through, it comes off as a gratifying culmination of months of hard work, landing somewhere between presentation and release into the wild.

After a solo acoustic rendition of "You Never Get What You Want," things settle into a fine showcase for Griffin's new album. Highlights include the lilting country flavour of "Trapeze," the radiant "Burgundy Shoes" featuring Patty on the piano accompanied by a live string quartet, and a more upbeat romp through "No Bad News."

The setting for the show is in an old, converted synagogue. The dimly lit venue is augmented by candles, small tea lights struggling to reach the high ceiling above.

But the atmosphere is perfect for the intimate show of Patty with her small troupe of accompanists, feeding the souls of an appreciative crowd of New Yorkers who battled the winter chill to experience the warmth of some Flaming Red.

The concert ends with the beautiful "Top Of The World." Between the addition of string players and some able guitar work, the track builds and swells until it climaxes in an almost epic post-rock fashion. And although you want everything to keep going, it couldn't have ended on a better note.

Article Author: David R Perry

Lost somewhere in the rolling hills of Tennessee, David R Perry can occasionally be found doing dark, unspeakable things to words. Printed words, spoken words, electronically mangled words... really any kind but twittered words.

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