RECORDINGS Quick Spins

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

CHILDREN RUNNING THROUGH

Patty Griffin

Reviews of Patty Griffin's records tend to spend less time talking about her music than they do cataloguing which of her more celebrated colleagues (including Emmylou Harris and the Dixie Chicks) admires her or has performed her songs. The result: She is often portrayed as someone who has yet to arrive as an artist, an assessment that, as her bracing new album attests, couldn't be further from the truth.

The fifth studio recording of Griffin's career, "Children Running Through," is the work of a gifted singer, songwriter and, for the first time, producer (with Mike McCarthy of the band Spoon) at the height of her powers. In terms of emotional and musical reach and of vocal and orchestral dynamics, the record brings to mind "For the Roses," the fifth studio album by another consummate singer-songwriter, Joni Mitchell.

Mitchell's work was grounded largely in folk, classical and pop idioms at that point; here, Griffin draws more on the wellspring of gospel and R&B. With maybe one exception, this affinity is less an overtly sonic one than a sensibility. It has more to do with the resilience and uplift in Griffin's by turns flinty and soaring alto than anything else.

The empathy and candor of her writing no doubt will move others to want to record some of these songs. As with the previous likes of "Let Him Fly" and "Top of the World," though, it's unlikely that anyone will be able to hollow out the marrow of originals like "Stay on the Ride" and "Getting Ready" the way Griffin does here.

DOWNLOAD THESE: "Stay on the Ride," "Getting Ready"

-- Bill Friskics-Warren

IN MY SONGS

Gerald Levert

Of the many charms possessed by Gerald Levert, who passed away in November, foremost was his effortless way of connecting contemporary and old-school soul. The teddy bear crooner favored classic R&B vocals but peppered his records with enough timely slang and cultural references to keep the kids interested. His ability to perform a song such as "Wilding Me Out" in an earnest retro tone without sounding campy is unmatched.

The posthumous "In My Songs" is likely to be Levert's last feat of era-straddling (though one never knows what other recordings might be found). Throughout, he sounds like a hipper incarnation of a '70s soul man and a classier version of his lewder R&B peers.

The title track is a ballad about ballads, with Levert wondering why he hasn't found the sort of love portrayed in his music. He shows Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo and others how a meta-love record should be done: The clever, indignant lyrics ("I'm the special guy I sing about!") make Levert seem witty and vulnerable, rather than just whiny and horny.

"Wanna Get Up With You" delivers the sound of the new jack swing that ruled Levert's early records, but with updated vernacular, while "What Cha Think About That" derives its edge from a trance track. The presence of electronic elements keeps things current even when Levert uses his best vintage voice. The strange blend somehow works -- and makes one wonder what else Levert might have concocted if given a little more time.

DOWNLOAD THESE: "In My Songs," "What Cha Think About That"

-- Sarah Godfrey

WEST

Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams may spend the rest of her career trying to prove that the powerful songs and performances on her early records weren't a fluke. After starting with two blues albums, she took a more country/folk bent with three records that were lush with vivid imagery and expressive vocals -- particularly 1998's stellar "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road." More recently, her albums have flattened those compelling textures into generic alt-country fare, giving a tedious one-dimensionalism to 2003's "World Without Tears" and her latest, "West."

Ultimately, what once was Williams's greatest asset now works against her: Her dry, hoarse voice used to drip with emotion; on "West," she snarls to the point of seeming harsh and detached, even on the most tender lyrics. She tackles the melancholy "Where Is My Love?" with a grating whine rather than the wistful sigh it requires, and she sludges through her adjustment to a breakup on "Learning How to Live" with such a flat delivery that it sounds not only sorrowless but also formulaic.

Glimmers of the Williams of yesteryear do occasionally peek through: She enhances the contemplative feel of "Rescue" with gentler vocals and a stunning string melody. Despite the coarseness in her voice on "Fancy Funeral," her cynical outlook and grief-laden tone expose her devastation at her mother's death. Unfortunately for Williams, though, those poignant moments grow fewer with every album, leaving little hope for a return to her warmer, more engaging sound.

DOWNLOAD THIS: "Rescue"

-- Catherine P. Lewis