Fans of singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith will be pleased by the news that she has just released a collection of intimate torch songs.
Nov. 20, 2006—Fans of singer songwriter Nanci Griffith will be pleased by the news that she has just released a collection of intimate torch songs. "Ruby's Torch" contains some songs penned by Griffith and others by some of her musical heroes.
"My fans have been asking for an album like this for years," she tells Kylie Harris on GAC's The Edge of Country Dec. 2, 1 pm, ET. "I've dabbled in pop torch songs over the years with one or two here on the record and this is an entire record of classic pop torch songs that was just brilliantly fun to make."
The Austin, Texas, born singer didn't sit back and rely on the tried and true when it came to song selection. "I wanted to do songs that hadn't been done over and over again. Songs like "Bluer Than Blue" or a classic Tom Waits song," she explains. "Songs that are classics, but not mainstream."
While Griffith's pure voice and sharp storytelling skills may not be considered mainstream, she remains a favorite of many musical icons. Bob Dylan once requested she be a part of a special anniversary concert, and Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris have performed her songs. She's a multiple Grammy nominee and took one of the trophies home in '93.
"Ruby's Torch" producer worked with Griffith on both her Flier and Dust Bowl Symphony albums. "It was just a joy," says Griffith, 53. "It was the Julie London moment of my career, so all I had to do was walk in and sing every day. I didn't play one note of guitar and there are no backing vocals on this record.
"The challenge in performing these songs is that you have to somehow remain true to the spirit of the song but infuse it with your own story. If you don't fill the song with your own emotions, then you really are just going through the motions."
In addition to songs by Tom Waits—"Ruby's Arms," "Grapefruit Moon" and "Please Call Me, Baby"—the collection includes Jimmy Webb's "If These Walls Could Speak," Frank Christian's "Drops From The Faucet," Sandy Mason's "When I Dream" and Donaugh Long's "Never Be The Sun," alongside two Griffith reissues.
Backing Griffith on this collection is the Blue Moon Orchestra, who has been with her since 1986. A cabaret tour is set to begin in February.
(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna@gacmusicbeat.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)