Nanci Griffith – Working In Corners – 4 CD Set
I remember hearing this debut 9-track LP There’s a Light Beyond These Woods, by Ms. Griffith back in 1978. An impressive collection. There was something special in her voice, the approach to the music & the entire showcase. I learned later that to a degree Nanci (vocals/acoustic guitar/harmony vocals) wasn’t initially embraced by the country establishment, but I didn’t hear any evidence as to why. She was a classy artist like k.d. lang & Lyle Lovett. But unlike them, there was nothing quirky about Nanci.
The Texas-based singer’s vocals are always striking with sincerity, poignancy & eloquence. Absent was any showboating. It was indeed a homegrown setting. Her songs were like snapshots filled with nostalgia. The performance on the first 2 CDs is spare. Each instrument surfaces with clarity & no rowdy bombastic moments. A typical folk-flavored country set.
So begins this beautifully repackaged introduction to the magnetic Nanci Griffith. Her first of 4 long-out-of-print LPs. The document that is Working In Corners – 4 CD Set (Dropped Sept. 8-Craft Recordings) was largely produced by Jim Rooney (the last 2 were originally released by the Philo label). The other 3 CDs are 1982’s “Poet In My Window,” 1984’s “Once In a Very Blue Moon,” & 1986’s Grammy-nominated “The Last of the True Believers.”
With the 37-minute, 12-track pristinely recorded “Poet In My Window,” the lead track became “Can’t Love Wrong,” when reissued. This is how this CD begins. A quiet acoustic-driven ballad. They added this & didn’t delete any other. Many songs are Nanci originals, but she always included a cover or two that fit her repertoire personality perfectly. This collection began to show signs of the quality that was to follow on subsequent Griffith LPs. Produced by Nanci with John Hill (drums) & Laurie Hill.
Leaning into a more country approach with her folk-flavors intact Nanci introduces a more solid instrumental sound on her 3rd effort “Once In a Very Blue Moon,” which finds her signature voice even more succinctly. In this effort, Nanci plays host to guest musicians Bela Fleck, Lyle Lovett & Roy Huskey, Jr that infuse the collection with more intensity. This is the LP that introduced Nanci Griffith to a larger audience. This 13-track, 39-minute CD was produced by Nanci with Jim Rooney.
There was always something about Nanci that wasn’t outlaw. It did suggest a singer not of the cookie-cutter variety. She had a meticulous beauty to her subtle voice, with an Emmylou Harris quality but Nanci’s more daring charm. Her performances could rise like a tsunami. I sincerely miss Nanci. Proof? The superb cover of the late Richard Dobson’s “Ballad of Robin Winter Smith” is just so good, that I have no words.
Then, with the excellent The Last of the True Believers the 11-track was nominated for a Grammy Award & songs were covered to become hits for Kathy Mattea. Major artists were listening. The set was produced again by Griffith & Rooney.
The original cover shows a man dancing with a young lady – that’s Lyle Lovett. It’s an LP that possesses the wonderful & now classic “Love at the Five & Dime.” Ms. Griffith was a storyteller who narrated her tales, developed characters & described places.
Her songs became magical short stories like Faulkner & Steinbeck. Her material was always illustrated by the melodic notes the musicians painted around her bracingly smart music. This LP is also in a publication that states it’s among the “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.” I agree.
Included in this box set — a beautiful perfect-bound color booklet. Annotated 60pp + cover with a hinged spine. Quite ambitious. Ms. Griffith deserved it. RIP Nanci…we’ll continue to listen. In our ears & hearts, you will always be.
Highlights:
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1st LP: “I Remember Joe,” “Michael’s Song,” “Song For Remembered Heroes” & the superb “There’s a Light Beyond These Woods (Mary Margaret).”
2nd LP: “Can’t Love Wrong,” “Marilyn Monroe/Neon & Waltzes,” “Wheels,” “Waltzing With the Angels” & “Poet In My Window.”
3rd LP: “Love Is a Hard Waltz,” “Roseville Fair,” “Mary & Omie,” “I’m Not Drivin’ These Wheels,” “Time Alone,” “Ballad of Robin Winter Smith,” “Daddy Said,” “Once In a Very Blue Moon,” Lyle Lovett’s “If I Were the Woman You Wanted” & “Spin On a Red Brick Floor.”
4th LP: “The Last of the True Believers,” “Love at the Five & Dime,” “St. Olav’s Gate,” “Banks of Pontchartrain,” “Lookin’ For the Time (Working Girl”),” “Goin’ Gone” & “Fly By Night.”
Musicians – 1st CD: Eric Taylor (acoustic guitar/lead vocals), Tom Pittman (banjo), Stephen Doster (acoustic lead guitar), Rick West (acoustic lead guitar/dobro/mandolin), Tom Ellis (mandolin), Hugh Sparks (bass/bgv), Paul Kelly (bass), John Hagen (cello), Mike Williams (12-string guitar/windchimes/bgv), Richard Cooper (electric piano), Carla Cain, Lela Cain, Maggie Grahan, Franci Files & Frank Delvy (bgvs).
2nd CD: Brian Wood (acoustic lead guitar/pedal steel & harmony), Wells Young (piano/synth/bass), Eric Taylor (bass), Evelyne Taylor (harmony vocal) & the Gulf Coasters (harmony vocals on “Wheels”).
3rd CD: Pat Alger (acoustic & high-string guitar), John Catchings (cello), Phillip Donnelly (electric guitar), Stephen Doster (acoustic & electric guitars), Bela Fleck (banjo), Denise Franke & Lyle Lovett (harmony vocals), Lloyd Green (dobro/pedal steel), Mark Howard (acoustic rhythm & high-string guitar), Roy Huskey Jr. (upright bass), Terry McMillan (harmonica), Kenny Malone (percussion), Mark O’Connor (piccolo mandolin/mandolin/fiddle/mandola) & Ralph Vitello (piano/synth).
4th CD: Philip Donnelly (electric guitar), Pat Alger (acoustic & high-string guitar), Rick West (acoustic guitar/mandolin), Roy Huskey, Jr. (double bass), Ralph Vitello (piano), Lloyd Green (dobro/pedal steel), Bela Fleck (banjo), Mark O’Connor (mandolin/violin/mandola), John Catchings (cello), Kenny Malone (drums/percussion), Gove Scrivenor (autoharp), Robin Batteau (violin), Lyle Lovett, Rachel Peer Prine, Maura O’Connell & Curtis Allen (harmony vocals) & Pros & Cons Harmony Choir includes Nanci, Marlin Griffith, Richard Dobson, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle & Tom Russell.
Lyric inserts are provided but a magnifying glass is required. B&W photo Jim McGuire. CD @ https://craftrecordings.com/products/working-in-corners & https://nancigriffith.net/