Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks," Young's "After the Goldrush," Browne's "Late for the Sky," U2's "Joshua Tree," McLachlan's "Surfacing"...and while some reading this might legitimately plug in different titles for these artists, my point is that every great artist has one (or perhaps two) works that immortalize their careers. Thankfully, Patty Griffin has a long way to go, but it's hard to imagine anything she'll do from here on overachieving this magnificent release. The purity and passion of her singing, the power and profundity of her lyrics, which can almost literally turn one's heart inside-out, the confidence, versatility and genius she demonstrates in moving from gospel to gorgeous strings to hard edged folk to Hispanic-tinged brass arrangements left me, an already dedicated fan, feeling that Patty Griffin has, with "Children Running Through," guaranteed herself a permanent place in the pantheon of the very greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Again, Griffin is still in the middle of what has already been an amazing career, so if this sounds like an obituary, I don't mean it to. It's just hard to imagine anything she (or anyone else, for that matter) will do from here on being better than this. That said, I guess it won't really surprise me if she finds yet another, higher mountain to climb. Bottom line: If you consider yourself an audiophile or a collector of the best music ever recorded, your collection won't be complete until "Children Running Through" is added to it. This is a great and timeless record.

On first listen I found this set of songs to be very soothing and highly enjoyable, but not moving or remarkable. Afterall, nothing can measure up to the jolt you feel the first time you hear Patty Griffin, and some of her earlier works are just so gut-wrenchingly raw and startlingly honest and sad. Oh, but then....then, I listened to it again, and again, and again. And with each turn, this album has swiftly and steadily pushed itself deeper into my soul and psyche until today, as I was listening, I found myself with chills, with tears, alternately crying and smiling. And I found myself in complete awe of how utterly moving and remarkable this piece of work is. I think that the very thing that put me and maybe others off at first is what, now, I find most relatable. And that is that Patty is aging and maturing, mellowing and coming to terms with life and its offerings. And her music is, of course, reflecting this. Some highlights for me include:
1)The warm and nostalgic feeling of "Bergundy Shoes" and the one word chorus "Sun". How she can make a single word mean so many things and evoke such emotion is amazing to me. 2)The beat and rhythm of both "No Bad News" and "Getting Ready" are infectious and I am incapable of not moving when I hear it 3) The "sun on my skin and smell of fresh-cut grass and warm earth" feeling I get when I hear "Heavenly Day". Knowing it is about her dogs makes it that much more endearing to me, but it is a great, feel-good song regardless of her muse. There is such a variety of style from song to song that I am sure nearly anyone can find a song to love. I, for one, love them all.

Patty Griffin is an incredible writer, singer and performer. I have been a fan of hers for about 6 years. My love of her music has been fairly consistent, although I have doubted for awhile whether she'd ever release a true classic record. I absolutely adored 1,000 Kisses, but maybe because it's got more of a consistently melancholy mood, it's always seemed to be more of a niche record for Patty. With Children Running Through, Patty's hit paydirt.

Much like Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is the standard for Lucinda Williams, this record will always be the one that other Patty records are judged against. Sure, certain fans will always prefer Living With Ghosts. Some may prefer 1,000 Kisses or Flaming Red, but to the vast majority of music fans, Children Running Through will be the one great Patty record.

Maybe it's the production. It all just sounds so great. Each song seems to have been a success in achieving what it set out to achieve. Patty's a jazzy crooner on the opener "You'll Remember", a funky rapper on "Stay on the Ride", a folk storyteller on "Trapeze", a bona fide rocker on "Getting Ready", a piano balladeer on "Burgundy Shoes" and a Sam Cooke styled soul singer on "Heavenly Day" and that's just the first half of the record.

She's dabbled in most of these styles at times throughout her career, but in each case never more successfully than here. While many loved her rocking out on the title track to "Flaming Red", she's clearly brought her rock to new heights with "Getting Ready". Her Emmylou duet on "Trapeze" is as gorgeous a song as she's ever done, and as piano ballads go, none rank with "Burgundy Shoes".

Tracks 7-12 are a little less diverse than the lead 6 tracks, although "No Bad News" sounds like a perfect choice for the next Dixie Chicks single to me; a toe tapping countryish rocker with an infectious acoustic guitar riff driving it home. Apparently, this song is inspired by none other than our president, which only makes the song more enjoyable for me.

I can continue discussing the record track by track, but really there's no point. Patty's incomparable as a songwriter - she writes great melodies, thoughtful lyrics and does a wonderful job putting these songs together. Then this record, really for the first time, reveals her incredible singing - in all the varying styles I mentioned - and it is just a beatifully produced record. The strings, the percussion, the piano, all fit the songs just about as perfect as possible.

The only way Patty can sound better than on Children Running Through is in a live setting. If you get a chance to see her reveal that voice live, don't miss it. It's a real event.

Patty Griffin has created an absolute masterpiece with here new album "Children Running Through". The opening song puts us right back in the seat that Patty left vacant on the last song from "Impossible Dream". She leads us into a wonderfully blues/rockabilly track appropriately named "Stay On The Ride". After which we do just that. We stay on the ride for Patty Griffin's masterwork. I am a huge fan of all of her previous albums. "Children Running Through" brings all the best of Patty's talent out in the open. Her wonderful songwriting and spot on vibrato is in the forefront as usual. However, its seems as if she has came to accept the fact that she should be comfortable with her voice, which in previous albums it seemed as if she was a bit shy to let go. She lets go on this album. She is paving her own way in music. I have all the love and respect for Patty and her amazing talent. I only hope she continues for many years to come. She helps brighten my life everytime I listen to her.

I saw Patty Griffin on David Letterman's The Late Show just the other night......That's all it took. I've heard her name for several years but never took the time, or remembered, to give her a listen. This new CD is going to stay in my player for awhile....That is until I buy some of her older stuff. Incredible lyrics, incredible music and WOW, what a voice!!