CLOCK WITHOUT HANDS
Nanci Griffith
(Elektra)
RATING: three and a half
Nanci Griffith’s entry in The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll is all praises about the singer-songwriter’s long and impressive career in contemporary folk music, but it is appended with this telling sentence: “Despite widespread support from fans and peers, to date Griffith has not carved out a niche in commercial radio.”
Her latest release, Clock Without Hands, is not likely to change Griffith’s commercial luck, although it is an excellent work that is among her very best. True to form, the 14 stories in this album aren’t told with radio-friendly melodies—the music is almost negligible, actually—but Griffith’s lyrics are poetic and arresting in their imagery. In the title track, Griffith contemplates time and the fight to keep passion, singing, “I am a clock without hands/ I’m walking through the midnights/ Counting all the moments/ Of the loves I’ve left behind.” Listeners who’ve had the pleasure of hearing Griffith before know that this is a songwriter who still knows how to use metaphor, and use them well; it comes as no surprise to find out that Griffith is, after hours, also a writer of short stories and novels. In fact, Clock Without Hands pays homage to novelist Carson McCullers from whose last work Griffith borrows her album’s title.
In this, Clock Without Hands shares similarities with 1993’s Other Voices, Other Rooms, Griffith’s most successful album to date, which took its title from Truman Capote’s book. The two albums also share one other important similarity: guest star power. Where the previous album had Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and country great John Prine, this release calls on John Stewart and ex-Kingston Trio member James Hooker. Linda Ronstandt and Jennifer Kimball (formerly with Jonatha Brooke’s group, The Story) also drop in to lend their vocals.
Okay, so the guests aren’t quite as lustrous as before, but the two guitarists do make important contributions to the album. Griffith covers Hooker’s “Cotton” and Stewart’s “Lost Him in the Sun,” “The Ghost Inside of Me,” and “Armstrong,” and co-writes with Hooker “Shaking Out the Snow” and “Truly Something Fine.” This is not to say that Griffith has given away the album, though there are two more covers (“In the Wee Small Hours” by Bob Hillard and David Mann, and “Where Would I Be” by Paul Carrack), bringing the grand total of songs solely penned by Griffith to only five. Griffith’s mark is clearly all over the album, covers and collaborators notwithstanding.
Griffith’s voice has mellowed out and deepened somewhat, and her compositions have become richer over the years. All these factors make Clock Without Hands a jewel in Griffith’s crown, and while it is probably not going to be flying off the shelves, we have to give credit to the brave record stores who’ve imported this unmarketable but talented release. Now all Nanci Griffith needs are listeners smart enough to snap this up.—Kristine Fonacier
(Elektra)
RATING: three and a half
Nanci Griffith’s entry in The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll is all praises about the singer-songwriter’s long and impressive career in contemporary folk music, but it is appended with this telling sentence: “Despite widespread support from fans and peers, to date Griffith has not carved out a niche in commercial radio.”
Her latest release, Clock Without Hands, is not likely to change Griffith’s commercial luck, although it is an excellent work that is among her very best. True to form, the 14 stories in this album aren’t told with radio-friendly melodies—the music is almost negligible, actually—but Griffith’s lyrics are poetic and arresting in their imagery. In the title track, Griffith contemplates time and the fight to keep passion, singing, “I am a clock without hands/ I’m walking through the midnights/ Counting all the moments/ Of the loves I’ve left behind.” Listeners who’ve had the pleasure of hearing Griffith before know that this is a songwriter who still knows how to use metaphor, and use them well; it comes as no surprise to find out that Griffith is, after hours, also a writer of short stories and novels. In fact, Clock Without Hands pays homage to novelist Carson McCullers from whose last work Griffith borrows her album’s title.
In this, Clock Without Hands shares similarities with 1993’s Other Voices, Other Rooms, Griffith’s most successful album to date, which took its title from Truman Capote’s book. The two albums also share one other important similarity: guest star power. Where the previous album had Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and country great John Prine, this release calls on John Stewart and ex-Kingston Trio member James Hooker. Linda Ronstandt and Jennifer Kimball (formerly with Jonatha Brooke’s group, The Story) also drop in to lend their vocals.
Okay, so the guests aren’t quite as lustrous as before, but the two guitarists do make important contributions to the album. Griffith covers Hooker’s “Cotton” and Stewart’s “Lost Him in the Sun,” “The Ghost Inside of Me,” and “Armstrong,” and co-writes with Hooker “Shaking Out the Snow” and “Truly Something Fine.” This is not to say that Griffith has given away the album, though there are two more covers (“In the Wee Small Hours” by Bob Hillard and David Mann, and “Where Would I Be” by Paul Carrack), bringing the grand total of songs solely penned by Griffith to only five. Griffith’s mark is clearly all over the album, covers and collaborators notwithstanding.
Griffith’s voice has mellowed out and deepened somewhat, and her compositions have become richer over the years. All these factors make Clock Without Hands a jewel in Griffith’s crown, and while it is probably not going to be flying off the shelves, we have to give credit to the brave record stores who’ve imported this unmarketable but talented release. Now all Nanci Griffith needs are listeners smart enough to snap this up.—Kristine Fonacier
posted by Kristine F. | Tuesday, January 01, 2002
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