Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin – Silver Bell (2012/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 59:19 minutes | 662 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © A&M

Shelved during of the great record label consolidation of the early 2000s, Patty Griffin’s Silver Bell is indeed a “lost album” but it is not one that carries mythic weight. Griffin rebounded relatively quickly after Silver Bell’s abandoned release — two years later, she signed with ATO and released 1000 Kisses, the first in a series of regular records all receiving greater acclaim and stronger sales — and Silver Bell itself strengthened her reputation and bank account due to covers by the Dixie Chicks, who cut “Top of the World” and “Truth #2” on 2002’s Home (over a decade later, Natalie Maines once again returned to this album for its title track, recording “Silver Bell” for her 2013 solo debut, Mother). If the Chicks’ covers suggest that the album has a strong country flavor, that’s not necessarily wrong, but there’s a roiling rock undertow tempered by a smoky, late-night soulfulness that gives this album its emotional resonance. These sounds are not mutually exclusive. Often, Griffin blends it all together, pushing a song that starts as country into bracing, cathartic territory, a trick that is an outgrowth of Flaming Red. Despite the success the Dixie Chicks had with songs from this album, Silver Bell is not necessarily a record that would’ve brought Griffin to a larger audience. It is simultaneously inward and explosive, a record that demands close listening and certainly rewards the attention. Griffin may have gotten a little more accessible not much later, but it’s hard to hear Silver Bell and not think of it as a compelling transitional LP that’s the missing piece of the puzzle, the moment when Patty Griffin inadvertently learned that the hard road not only resulted in a rewarding journey, but it was the road she was destined to take. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Patty Griffin – Tape (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 29:52 minutes | 554 MB | Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Female Vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © PGM

Patty Griffin has long been one of folk and Americana music’s most celebrated songwriters, with a multi-decade discography that has influenced artists like Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler, and Solomon Burke. With Tape, she revisits what is surely a vast archive of demos and ideas, pulling together 10 rarities for a collection that adds depth and context to her already acclaimed catalog. The tracks appropriately feel raw and lo-fi, offering listeners a truly intimate experience with one of songwriting’s brightest minds. Highlights include the hopeful “Get Lucky” and “One Day We Could,” which pairs a delightfully jangly acoustic guitar with Griffin’s otherworldly voice.

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Patty Griffin – Patty Griffin (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 56:09 minutes | 569 MB | Genre: Blues, Country, Folk
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © PGM

Grammy award winning recording artist Patty Griffin’s eponymous new release marks the 11th studio album of her career and her first release since 2015’s Servant of Love.

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