Music: Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses

Posted in Member Reviews on August 28, 2002

Boy howdy, I sure am glad I'm not a real music critic.

I've read plenty of reviews by professional music critics. I wouldn't give that job to a monkey on a rock. They have to listen for "riffs" that sound like those played by other bands. It requires knowing a band's complete history and listening to everything they've ever done, so you can decide if they're in a rut. Critics have to play the CD over and over, listening for an out-of-tune piano, overuse of a particular melody, underuse of a particular musician -- the list goes on and on. Plus, they're never allowed to like any mainstream artist, lest they be labeled as corporate shills.

Me? I don't know nothin' 'bout 'nothin. I pop a CD in (or, better yet, listen to the highly compressed MP3 version) and listen. My analysis consists of, "Like that song," "Don't like that song." Ignorance truly is bliss. I may not know music, but I know what I like.

What does all this have to do with Patty Griffin's CD, 1000 Kisses? Absolutely nothing, so let's move on....

Patty Griffin is a wonderful contemporary folk singer turned rocker turned back into a contemporary folk singer. Did you catch all that? No? Then let's review: Griffin's first CD, Living With Ghosts, was a powerful acoustic album, featuring only Griffin and her guitar. For her second album, Flaming Red, Griffin got herself a band and more of a hard rock sound. With 1000 Kisses, she created an album with the folk sound of her first, but with the greater musical range that having a band provides.
Not that any of that matters. Griffin is the type of artist I like -- one who can sing just about any style of music and pull it off. Listen to all three of her released albums and you'll hear folk, jazz, hard rock, even a Spanish love song. And it's all good..

1000 Kisses is chock full of powerful, imaginative songs. Griffin's lyrics make it easy to visualize the characters she's singing about. I want to meet the lady from Making Pies. I want to go marching with Chief. Every song paints a vivid, emotional picture..

The title track, Mil Besos (you thought it would be 1000 Kisses, didn't you?), doesn't quite fit with the rest of the album. That's not a complaint, really -- it's a beautiful song, and Griffin does it justice, especially considering she doesn't speak Spanish. It's just a surprise when you first hear it. I suspect that was the plan. It's kind of like chocolate cake at a chinese buffet: You like it, but you know that, technically, it's not supposed to be there. But, since that song is the title track, I suppose it had to be on this album..

If you like Hard Rock Patty but refuse to get Contemporary Folk Patty, 1000 Kisses is not for you. But if you like music that tells a story and a voice with range and emotion, then it's worth your time and money to check this one out.