Patty Griffin - Flaming Red

Griffin's follow-up to the acoustic, lyric-based material of Living with Ghosts shifts gears so dramatically, it hardly seems like the work of the same artist. In an electric wonderland of dense percussion tracks (played by Kenny Aronoff) and tricky guitar attacks (handled by producer Jay Joyce), Griffin reveals herself as a muscular rock & roll singer as well as an emotionally vulnerable balladeer. If the Ramones-loud title track seems to be trying too hard to rock and other cuts just sound busy, overwhelming the song with production--the chaotic rant of "Wiggley Fingers," for one--the anthemic pulse of "Tony" and the modern soul of "Christina" are gorgeous and convincing. They're the work of an imagination set free, if not fully grown. --Roy Kasten Amazon.com

 Not perfect, but an amazing sophomore offering from an amazing songwriter
I am a HUGE Patty fan and she is, without a doubt, one of my very favorite artists. She is one of the best artists writing and recording today. The first album I heard from her was her stunning debut, Living with Ghosts, and I was beyond blown away. I immediately scrambled to buy all of her records that I could. So we come to her second record, the follow-up to the brilliant Living with Ghosts, FLAMING RED. I'm not surprised that a lot of people who started with Ghosts were absolutely flabbergasted upon hearing this album; it is as different from its predecessor as day is from night. Whereas her debut was completely acoustic and her voice and songwriting were the primary focus, Flaming Red is a red-hot rock 'n roll album. It has simple, fun, straightforward rockers, rockers packed full of depth and power and soul, and of course, gorgeous, heart-wrenching ballads. I've seen a lot of angry comments from reviewers who gave this album five stars and love it, comments in which they suggest that the fans who love Living with Ghosts are simply upset with the style change and thus, give this album bad reviews because it's more rock and upbeat. Well, Ghosts is my favorite Patty album, but I still enjoy Flaming Red very much. I am a big rock fan, and I think Patty pulls it off effortlessly and beautifully, without a hint of pretense. The reason I gave this four stars instead of five, however, is only because this album is not as solid as her others. I can listen to her other albums all the way through, without skipping a single song, and on this one, I skip two: "Big Daddy" and "Go Now." They're just boring and pointless and do not work. That is my sole motivation for giving this record four stars and not a perfect score. But it's still a STUNNING piece of work, and Patty really shows off her versatility both as a singer and a songwriter. My personal favorites? The hard-rocking, unbelievably hard-hitting "Tony", about a gay classmate who committed suicide; the bluesy, beat-driven rock of "Change", in which Patty delivers a performance that will make your jaw drop to the floor; the unbearably emotional, sorrowful ballad, "Goodbye", another song that showcases her unbelievable voice, swooping from low to searingly high; and the haunting, bittersweet piano closer "Peter Pan." But there are other songs that are beautiful and greatly enjoyable, too, like the catchy, giddy pop/rock of "One Big Love", the punchy title track, the soaring, evocative "Christina", the staggering, titanic hard rock of "Wiggley Fingers" and the breathless, gorgeous pop of "Blue Sky." This album has something for everyone, and although it's far from her best work, I highly recommend it and her other masterpieces to people who are interested in some REAL music from a REAL talent. November 9, 2007

 one of a kind
This is one of those albums that changed my life and made me a Patty fan forever. I now have all of her cd's (and i love them all) but this one is the most special to me- raw and emotive and brilliant. September 21, 2007

 New Fan
I only recently discovered Patty Griffin when I picked up her latest cd, Children Running Through. I heard the song "Mary", which is included on Flaming Red, while watching a documentary a few weeks ago and immediately ordered this cd. Her voice is quite possibly the most amazing thing I've ever heard. This cd has everything...high-energy rock, soulful blues and ballads that will give you chills. June 12, 2007

 Change is good
I love music. I love Patty Griffin. I love "Living with Ghosts". Flaming Red is one of the BEST CDs I have EVER heard! March 28, 2007

 Patty Griffin - FLAMING RED is a Daring Work
"Hey Peter Pan/ I'm going home now/ I've done all I can/ Besides I'm grown now" Patty Griffin sings as the closing lines on her brilliant CD "FLAMING RED". So appropriate to close with these words, since Ms. Griffin certainly comes of age on this album, showing us the maturation of her emotions and talent at which she only hinted in her earlier acoustic endeavors. On "FLAMING RED", Patty Griffin digs deep into her soul and pulls out one of the most intriguing recorded works of the last decade. How to describe Patty Griffin? Part Rock-abilly, part folk singer, part baladeer, part poet laureate, she encompases the best of the generations before her, with echoes of Joan Baez and Judy Collins, mixed with the more controlled angst of Tori Amos, and the delicate beauty of Dar Williams and Sarah MacLachlan. This is not to say that she is derivative, since Patty Griffin is a true original, whose range on this album boggles the mind. She opens with a blast on "Flaming Red' and takes the listener on a wild journey through her life. One of the most touching moments on the CD is a quiet country-inspired work called "Goodbye" where she laments the loss of a friend- a much-used topic for songs, but Ms. Griffin finds a unique way to handle the subject. She shows her true vocal range on "Carry Me" and the lovely lilting ballad "Christina". "Wiggley Fingers" is a jazzy delight as is "Big Daddy." If you think that modern music is going the way of mindless pop and melody-free rap, don't despair. Listen to Patty Griffin's "FLAMING RED" and your faith in modern music will be restored.

March 28, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...