Downtown Church is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Patty Griffin, released on January 26, 2010, by Credential Recordings, a Christian label distributed by EMI. The album was recorded in Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville and features different styles. Griffin has stated that she recorded the album to explore her feelings about religion. The album debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Christian Albums and Folk Albums charts. The critical response was "generally favorable". On December, 1st 2010, the album received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Gospel Album. On February 13, 2011, Downtown Church won the Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album. This was Patty Griffin's first Grammy award, after previously being nominated for Best Contemporary/Folk Americana Album for Children Running Through in 2007.

Background and recording

Griffin has stated that she did not have a background in gospel music before recording Downtown Church. She had appeared on the 2009 compilation Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration in a duet with Mavis Staples. Peter York, president of the EMI Christian Music Group, suggested Griffin record a gospel album, and she agreed under the condition that Buddy Miller work as producer. Miller agreed and found the Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville, after which the album was named, and where the album was recorded in January 2009. The album was recorded in collaboration with Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, gospel group The Fairfield Four, Jim Lauderdale, Raul Malo, Mike Farris, and Julie Miller. The recording took five days, one day rehearsal and four days playing, and was described as sometimes exhausting.

Downtown Church consists of cover songs, traditional songs, and original songs by Griffin, and Billboard has described the album as a "gospel-style record" influenced by traditional country music and blues. Griffin stated that the album was an attempt to familiarize pop fans with gospel music and that she intentionally used different styles to "mix it up". A Spanish hymn, "Virgen de Guadalupe", was suggested by Michael Ramos, a member of Griffin's band. Griffin stated that she had listened to Christian songs by Bob Dylan, but failed to connect to them, and wrote her songs partly in reaction to their certainty and her ambivalence about rigid doctrine. She told National Public Radio that she was "working through complicated feelings about religion" and recorded the album to explore them. Griffin described her original song "Coming Home to Me" as sharing a recurring theme of her music, loneliness and connection, and being about "what really goes on inside, deep down". The final song, "All Creatures of Our God and King" is traditionally attributed to Francis of Assisi.

Critical reception

The album was favorably reviewed by Slant Magazine reviewer Jonathan Keefe who praised Griffin as a natural fit for the songs and passionate "that even a nonbeliever can get on board". Jim Caligiuri of The Austin Chronicle called the album "haunting and original" and described the new direction compared to Griffin's previous album as a "gutsy move". Michael McCall of the Associated Press described the album as a "stunningly powerful and compassionate work". Kyle Matthews of the Associated Baptist Press noted that the album was cohesive despite a variety of styles and praised the song selection as "beyond stereotypes". Martin Bandyke of the Detroit Free Press called the album "uplifting and utterly majestic". Michael Corcora of the Austin American-Statesman praised Griffin as an "amazingly athletic singer" but criticized the album as "often divinely stirring" but lacking "a deep spiritual core". Noel Murray of The A.V. Club remarked on the choice of unconventional songs "I Smell A Rat", "Death's Got A Warrant", and "Virgen De Guadalupe" and described the album as "heartfelt", but "a little generic at times". Gage Henry of Paste stated that the album had "drastic turns" and praised Griffin's sentiment. Jewly Hight of American Songwriter praised the album and argued that the album had no "flat performances". David Belcher of the New York Times described the album as a "celebration" that was subtle but sometimes "foot-stomping". Jerry Shriver of USA Today praised the restraint and versatility of the album. Andrew Whitman of Christianity Today called the album "surprisingly diverse and beautifully sung" but argued that the secular "I Smell a Rat" did not fit with the religious material. Jay Lustig of The Star-Ledger described the album as "pop-folk-gospel fusion" and noted that the album includes songs that are slow, quick, mellow, and blunt. Mark Deming of Allmusic stated that Downtown Church was one of a string of good albums Griffin made since 1996 and was appealing "regardless of religious convictions".

Personnel

*Patty Griffin – vocals

*Buddy Miller – production, mixing, guitar, vocals

*Jim DeMain – mastering

*Mike Poole – engineering

*Gordon Hammond – assistance with engineering

*Kathi Whitley - production coordination

*Maple Byrne - production assistance

*Dennis Crouch – bass

*Jay Bellerose – drums

*Doug Lancio – guitar

*Stuart Duncan – fiddle

*John Deaderick – piano

*John Catchings – cello

*Bryan Owings – percussion

*Russ Pahl – pedal steel guitar

*Emmylou Harris – vocals

*Raul Malo – vocals

*Jim Lauderdale – vocals

*Shawn Colvin – vocals

*Mike Farris – vocals

*Julie Miller – vocals

*Regina McCrary – vocals

*Ann McCrary – vocals

Chart positions

References

Artist/Band Information

Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964,Griffin, Patricia is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with her onstage as well as performing cover songs of Griffin's work, exposing many of her compositions to mainstream pop and country music audiences outside Griffin's folk music circle of fans. She was also recipient of the Americana Music Association's highest honor as "Artist of the Year" in 2007, as well as taking home the award for best album for Children Running Through. In 2011, Griffin won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Gospel Album for Downtown Church.

Biography

Early years

Patty Griffin is from Old Town, Maine, United States, next to the Penobscot Native American reservation. She is primarily a guitarist, pianist, and vocalist, with a distinctive voice. The youngest child in her family with six older siblings, she bought a guitar for $50 at age 16, and sang and played, but had no inclination at the time to become a professional musician. After a short marriage which ended in 1992, Griffin began playing in Boston coffee houses, and was scouted by A&M Records, who signed Griffin on the strength of her demo tape; however A&M thought it to be overproduced, so Nile Rodgers and A&M instead released a stripped-down reworking of her demo tape, as an album called Living with Ghosts.Harris, Craig (accessed 17 March 2008)

Griffin's sophomore album, 1998's Flaming Red was a departure from the acoustic sound of Living with Ghosts, with a mix of mellow songs along with other, very high tempo rock and roll songs that border on a new wave sound. The title track, "Flaming Red" is an example of this, beginning with an even beat until it increases to a fevered pitch of emotion. "Tony" from this album is also featured on the charity benefit album Live in the X Lounge.

Her third record, Silver Bell had a similar sound to its predecessor, though it was also unreleased by A&M. A&M dropped Griffin's contract after Silver Bell, but she was picked up by Dave Matthews' ATO Records. Griffin re-recorded songs from that album for later releases such as "Making Pies", "Mother of God," "Standing," and "Top of the World" and others have been most famously covered by the Dixie Chicks. Copies of the unreleased Silver Bell were leaked and bootlegged, and can now be easily acquired via the "B&P" (Blanks and Postage) method on message boards. Pattynet.net (Retrieved on 04-13-07)

Four albums have followed so far on ATO, including 2002's 1000 Kisses, A Kiss in Time (2003), Impossible Dream (2004), Children Running Through(2007),

In 2004, Griffin toured with Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings as the Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue. On February 6, 2007, she released Children Running Through. The album debuted at #34 on the Billboard 200 with 27,000 copies sold. Of the album, Griffin told Gibson Lifestyle, “I just kind of felt like singing what I wanted to sing, and playing how I wanted to play. It’s not all dark and tragic. It’s a different way for me to look at things. Getting old—older, I should say, I’m not so serious all the time.”Ellen Mallernee, Ellen It was also said that the album was inspired by her childhood days.

Griffin's songs have been recorded by artists such as Irish-born singer Maura O'Connell ("Long Ride Home"), Linda Ronstadt ("Falling Down"), the Dixie Chicks ("Truth No. 2," "Top of the World," "Let Him Fly"), Bette Midler ("Moses"), Beth Nielsen Chapman, Christine Collister, and Dixie Chicks ("Mary"), Mary Chapin Carpenter ("Dear Old Friend"), Jessica Simpson ("Let Him Fly"), Martina McBride ("Goodbye"), Melissa Ferrick and Missy Higgins ("Moses"), Emmylou Harris ("One Big Love", "Moon Song"), Bethany Joy Galeotti ("Blue Sky"), The Wreckers ("One More Girl"), Keri Noble ("When It Don't Come Easy"), Joan Osborne ("What You Are"), Solomon Burke ("Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)"), and Miranda Lambert ("Getting Ready"). Kelly Clarkson performed "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" with Jeff Beck on guitar, accompanied by some orchestration on the Idol Gives Back episode of American Idol, and the live recording was released as a single immediately afterwards, reaching #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its first week and giving Griffin her highest charting position as a songwriter. (The audience gave Clarkson a standing ovation following her performance.) Griffin herself had said that when she heard Burke's version of the song, she almost did not feel worthy of singing it herself anymore. Griffin's version of the song was featured on the fourth season, episode 11 of the popular ABC television show, Grey's Anatomy.

Instruments

1965 Gibson J-50 Guitar1993 Gibson J-200 Junior Guitar

Recent work

PattyGriffin2006.jpgthumb230pxleftGriffin performing at the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2006

In September 2008, Griffin was featured on the album Simple Times by indie artist Joshua Radin, duetting on the song "You Got Growing Up to Do." In October 2008, she appeared in background vocals on Todd Snider's cover of John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son" for Snider's Peace Queer album. In February 2009, Griffin was featured on the album Feel That Fire by Dierks Bentley, duetting on the song "Beautiful World".

In 2009, Patty Griffin, along with Mavis Staples and The Tri-City Singers released a version of the song "Waiting For My Child to Come Home" on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.

The collaboration with Staples led EMI's Peter York to suggest Griffin make an album of gospel songs. Griffin agreed on the condition that friend and bandmate Buddy Miller produced the record. Griffin's sixth studio album, Downtown Church, was recorded at the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville and was released on January 26, 2010. The album features long-time friends Buddy and Julie Miller, as well as Shawn Colvin and Emmylou Harris. It features songs by Hank Williams, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, and "All Creatures of Our God and King," a song accredited to St. Francis of Assisi.

In July 2010, Robert Plant toured the United States with Band of Joy (reprising the name of his very first band in the 1960s). Patty Griffin toured with them as a backing vocalist to Plant, along with singer-guitarist Buddy Miller, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Darrell Scott, bassist-vocalist Byron House, and drummer-percussionist-vocalist Marco Giovino. She is also featured on Plant's solo album, Band of Joy, which was released in September 2010 by Rounder Records.

Film, television, and theater

Griffin has appeared in several movies including Cremaster 2 and in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown the soundtrack of which also included her song "Long Ride Home" and a cover of "Moon River" by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini.

In 2007, the Atlantic Theater Company produced 10 Million Miles, an Off Broadway musical with Griffin's music as the soundtrack, and a book by Keith Bunin, directed by Michael Mayer.

Griffin's first DVD, "Patty Griffin: Live From The Artists Den" was filmed on February 6, 2007 at the Angel Orensanz Foundation For the Arts on New York’s Lower East Side and released later that year. Selections from the DVD were featured on the program Live from the Artists Den on Ovation TV beginning January 24, 2008.

In 2007, Griffin was singled out by the Americana Music Association and awarded their top honor: Artist of the Year, and her album Children Running Through also received an honor from the Association. She performed "Trapeze" with Emmylou Harris harmonizing.Shelburne, Craig (accessed 14 March 2008)

On June 13, 2008 Griffin performed an acoustic in the round set in Nashville, Tennessee with Kris Kristofferson and Randy Owen (Alabama) for a special taping of a PBS songwriters series to be aired in December 2008. Each performer played five songs. In Griffin's case, it features "Making Pies," "No Bad News," "Up to the Mountain," and "Mary."

Griffin's song "Not Alone" (sometimes attributed as "You Are Not Alone"), from her first album, Living with Ghosts, was featured in the soundtrack for the hit television series, Without a Trace, in 2009. It also plays over the final scenes and end credits of the film Niagara, Niagara (1997).

Discography

Albums

Other contributions

*Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music (1998) - "Cain" (recorded live during the 1997 tour)

*Live at the World Café: Vol. 15 - Handcrafted (2002, World Café) - "Rain"

*107.1 KGSR Radio Austin - Broadcasts Vol.10 (2002) - "Rain"

*Elizabethtown Soundtrack (2005, RCA Records) - "Long Ride Home", "Moon River"

*Oh Happy Day (2009, EMI Gospel/Vector Recordings) - "Waiting For My Child To Come Home" (with Mavis Staples and The Tri-City Singers)

*Live at the World Cafe: Vol. 5 (1997, World Cafe Records) - "Every Little Bit"

*Live at the World Cafe: Vol. 16 - Sweet Sixteen (World Cafe Records) - "Makin' Pies"

Guest singles

References