Patty Griffin made a strong statement when she decided to give her name to her tenth album. Was it a way to make her songs even more intense? Maybe. But when one discovers that the songwriter had just won her battle with breast cancer when she wrote the album, the decision feels even stronger. In her record, Griffin compares the disease that she fought with the social and political sickness that is currently destroying America. The record is raw, and the gravity of its main themes work in favor of the magnificence of this piece of Americana. Recorded in her house in Austin, Texas, the album embraces many genres, from blues to gospel, country music, New Orleans swing, and Irish traditional songs. As always with Patty Griffin, realistic descriptions go hand in hand with pure poetry, and the artist’s intimate confessions give way to groovy tunes. For her simple and beautiful record, Griffin has called up her long-term and faithful companions. David Pulkingham is on the guitar, Conrad Choucroun on the drums, Lindsey Verrill on cello, Stephen Barber on piano and as special guest on two songs (Coins and What Now) her ex-husband and Led Zeppelin master Robert Plant. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz