Patty Griffin’s voice is so many things, it is soulful, arresting, piercing, pretty, old-fashioned, and sweet all at the same time. I didn’t know what to expect going into this concert, all I knew was that my friend Stellan loved her music. And when Stellan loves something, I know it’s going to be good! This woman has got so much soul, something about her just hits me right here (hand on heart). I’d been running on 8 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, but she captured my full attention through the whole show.
If I had to characterize her style of music…actually I can’t. She is so versatile! She’s up there on stage, with her super cute shoes, her acoustic guitar, and a simple band composed of an upright bass, a drum kit, a piano, and an accordion. Her first song, which I can only describe as “Hang on St. Christopher,” had a bluesy, swinging attitude that had Stellan and I feeling the music right away. She transitioned into soul, then rock, then into simple and heartfelt country, then blues, then into this amazing ballad in Spanish, then into a jazzy song that made me believe she was plucked straight out of the 1950s! It’s inconceivable how 1 person and 1 voice can embody every one of these styles, yet Patty Griffin does it, and she does it so well. She is genuine
For her first encore (no one left until she came back out a second time), she sang this sweet, soulful song which was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. The title is “Up to the Mountain,” and it is truly beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes and down my face. You can listen to it on her myspace, or look it up on seeqpod.com to hear it.
I really connected with Patty Griffin’s voice and her music, it compels me and warms me so. *sigh* It feels good. If and when she comes back to San Diego, I can guarantee that you will enjoy seeing her perform and hearing her music live.
(photo from Patty’s myspace)
**update: We went to this sold out concert at the Belly Up without tickets, just hoping for a chance that someone would be scalping. Just our luck, someone’s friends did a no-show and they sold us their tickets for face value! Yes!