CMT Blog: Archive

I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve spent at home with a bottle of red wine and a Patty Griffin album. Back in the day, that was my favorite way to cope with all the angst. Thank goodness I’m out of the woods now, but I thought about those rougher times last night when I was at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif., where she was performing at their small amphitheater. If you love her like I do, you’ll be overjoyed to know that she’s got a handful of new songs - and she said she’s been listening to a lot of country music these days, including George Strait, Tom T. Hall and Lefty Frizzell.

I don’t know all the song titles for sure, but after she was talking about country music, she sang “Forever, Wherever I Go,” about how some relationships will always stick with you, even if you don’t know how the story’s going to end. (My interpretation.) She also wrote a song for a high school graduation this year, and to me, it was brilliant. The lyrics reminded the students that it might be the last time they’d see each other, but the world was waiting - and that it wasn’t going to be sunshine and roses every day out there. She has such an economy with words that continues to impress me. I also loved “Waiting for My Child,” a heavy song about missing someone desperately. Written by Pops Staples, she has also recorded the song with Mavis Staples, and it’s coming out on a gospel compilation album next year.

She graciously closed the set with “Up to the Mountain,” which seemed like a perfect ending, since we were all on top of the mountain. Even without the red wine, I definitely felt at home.