Nanci Griffith at National Music Center, 5/2/98

by Seth Rogovoy

(LENOX, Mass., May 3, 1998) -- Much like Emmylou Harris did in her performance at last year's inaugural Berkshire Music Festival, Nanci Griffith underlined the mission of the National Music Foundation on Saturday night by emphasizing the diverse streams of American music flowing into her own interpretive river.

In her show at the foundation's Berkshire Performing Arts Theatre, Griffith -- intentionally or not -- touched a wide array of bases, highlighting folk and country and the wellspring of both in turn-of- the-century Appalachian music, as well as more modern strains springing from definitive stylists including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly.

Griffith paid tribute specifically to the foundation's stated goal of "perpetuating American music," tying it to her own ongoing project of preserving the work of heralded and unsung writers in her "Other Voices, Other Rooms" series of albums, the second of which, "Other Voices Too," is due out this summer.

Griffith split her show pretty much down the middle, scattering a selection of her own original compositions among her pristine covers of songs by other writers, including John Prine, Kate Wolf and Sandy Denny.

They were all of a piece, however, as Griffith is attracted to the same sort of songs she herself writes, songs that capture their narrators in moments of emotional change, crisis or realization. As Griffith illustrated with her version of a song made famous by the Carter Family, "Are You Tired of Me Darling," written by G.P. Cook and Ralph Roland in 1877, there is a long tradition of such songs, which in her capable hands and with her considerable vocal artistry were given a heightened degree of emotional urgency and immediacy.

Indeed, Griffith's voice -- which combines the pure folk beauty of Joan Baez's instrument with Emmylou Harris's timeless country soul -- was probably the highlight of the night. Whereas on record she can occasionally sound thin and reedy, here she was rich and full of voice, with a deep vibrato and dynamism belying the at-times sterile production of her recordings.

Backed by a three-member ensemble, Griffith delivered her songs in "unplugged" style, emphasizing their string-band roots and textures. The front line of bassist LeAnn Etheridge, Griffith and guitarist/mandolinist Lee Satterfield was billed as "the Wall of Women," with percussionist Pat McInerney providing a bit of testosterone-fueled rhythm to the mix.

Playing to a full house in the 1,200-seat theater, Griffith was able to provide a degree of warmth and intimacy that was lacking in her show at Tanglewood four years ago, introducing each song with just enough information for a listener to hang a hat on before being escorted through a new room and shown the furnishings.

Griffith and her crew offered a mix of folk ballads and mariachi- laced country-pop, with a bit of Tex-Mex and Buddy Holly-style rockabilly thrown into the mix. She steered the show into the political realm for a few numbers, including her signature tune decrying racism, "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go," and "Living In a Time of Inconvenience," which she tied to the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. She also spoke out strongly against the current inquisition being waged against President Clinton, likening special prosecutor Kenneth Starr to Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

Griffith herself generously introduced the warm-up act, singer- guitarist Frank Christian, who played a selection of original and classic country-blues. In contrast to Griffith's warm, open personality, Christian's was closed and reserved to the point of smugness.

[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on May 4, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]