The Loving Kind

Nanci Griffith | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: June 9, 2009
• Label: Rounder Records
• Total Length: 42:18
• Genres: Folk/Contemporary Folk
• ASIN: B0029Q4PY0
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,618 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CLASSIC NANCI--I'm still a true believer, ya'll, June 10, 2009

By 

Lara Chetkovich (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Loving Kind (Audio CD)

Being an old fan of Nanci, it's been about a decade since I've really enjoyed an album of hers, so I was floored--to tears, really--to hear her old sound in the title track, "The Loving Kind," and digest what the song was about: Mildred and Richard Loving--their God-given names--who fought the Supreme Court to be legally wed. In the liner notes, Peter Cooper suggests that Nanci may have been "robbed of her inspiration" for songwriting by the direction America had taken in the last decade, and politics show up in several songs on the cd. Nanci has always been an advocate of civil rights, and I can't think of a songwriter who has given us more songs about love--and hate. What would my life have been like without "Love at the Five and Dime" and "Gulf Coast Highway?"

This cd was totally panned in Rolling Stone; the reviewer actually quoted the first verses of the title track as an example of political cheesiness. I admit that there is some cheesiness here, as in the song, "Across America," which is an anthem about the hope the election of Obama brought to so many folks. But what is cheesiness, exactly? Earnestness? Simple lyrics? Nanci Griffith is sometimes cheesy in the same way that John Denver was a little cheesy. Her lyrics have always been simple and regional. She posed on many of her album covers holding novels by Southern writers like Truman Capote and Carson McCullers before those writers were in the sights of English departments. She never "posed" with a book by freakin Jacques Derrida.

So I think the poison pen of Rolling Stone reflects their magazine rather than the quality of this cd and what Nanci's fans expect. It's no mystery why she has devoted fans in Ireland and Scotland; her writing reflects their musical traditions of folk sensibility and simplicity.

What you will hear in this cd has the same sound as her best work, more country than folk: good Texas regional writing (songs about Townes Van Zandt, LBJ, Dubya, cotton and drinking tequila), a slight overdose of politics, a sweet cocktail of twanged-up honky tonk songs, and stunning harmony vocals from a newcomer, Elizabeth Cook (who sounds a lot like Iris DeMent or Casey Chambers), Todd Snider, John Prine and others, and backed by the Blue Moon Orchestra--sans James Hooker on piano--and with the magic of Fats Kaplin on pedal steel. I do miss the elegant picking of some of Nanci's quieter songs, and her voice is in a "tween" stage between youthful soprano and golden gravel. Still, all the songs here have great melodies and the end result is seamless and classic.

1. "The Loving Kind." GREAT start. Heart melted at first twang of pedal steel and realization that Nanci has found her feet again in returning to a country sound, and this is a catchy ditty that tells the story of the Lovings. One-of-a-kind capture for a songwriter.

2. "Money Changes Everything." Pretty good song, written by Gale Trippsmith, kind of uptempo and poppy, sounds a lot like the songs from "Flyer," a bongo drum beat--great vocals on the chorus with Nanci flying into the upper registers.

3. "One of These Days." I LOVE this song. Just sounds like old Nanci--Todd Snider singing harmony vocal--upbeat country song about being a homesick Texan in New York. Nanci has a bunch of "homesick for Texas songs" and this another good one. The vocals are a little pitchy in spots like Todd and Nanci are trying to stay together, but still a great song.

4. "Up Against the Rain." A ballad for Townes Van Zandt. Everybody's missing him these days. It's a pretty song, but if the liner notes hadn't told me, I never would have guessed it was about Townes. I don't think anyone wrote better about his own road to hell than the Townes himself; the first song he wrote was "Waiting Around to Die."

5. "Cotton." BEST SONG. It has an Irish chord progression, an accordion, mandolin, fiddle and cryptic lyrics. Everybody always wonders why Nanci wears an LBJ pin: this song is about cotton, big agriculture, peak oil, victory gardens and LBJ--totally uncanny--maybe Nanci is reading postmoderns after all. And you still won't know why she wears that LBJ pin.

6. "Not Innocent Enough." A song about Phillip Workman, who was executed for a botched robbery--joining singers like Steve Earle and Mary Gauthier in speaking out against the death penalty. GREAT LYRICS, twangy pedal steel, and a grand chorus harmony vocal, with John Prine coming in as the voice of God (weird, actually--every time I hear John Prine I expect him to say something funny and goofy). I love the lyrics, but I think the song would have been better with a simpler arrangement--no angel band choir and John Prine trying to be serious.

7. "Across America." A song about things getting a little better now (wishful thinking?) that the administration has changed. A little cheesy, yes, but someone's gotta write about how people in New Orleans felt when Obama got elected.

8. "Party Girl." BEST SONG. Penned by Dee Moeller. Get your two-stepping boots out--killer twang going on here.

9. "Sing." Love this one. It's a low-key folksy song with a great melody, good picking by Nanci on her Taylor acoustic, nice piano by Barry Walsh.

10. "Things I Don't Need." Not my favorite song, but the melody--like all the songs on the cd--is fantastic--the music and vocals are great. It's a low-key "moving on" song. Nanci must have missed George Carlin's monologue about having too much stuff, because that's all I can think about when I hear this song.

11. "Still Life." Another "moving on" song. A little slow, but it's growing on me. Good melody lines, and Nanci does some good vocal bends, nice twang.

12. "Tequila After Midnight." BEST SONG. This is another Dee Moeller song, pure two-stepping twang. Elizabeth Cook is outstanding on high harmony vocal, Shad Cobb on fiddle.

13. "Pour Me a Drink." More tequila. The cd closes on this slooow honky-tonk-styled standard. I think there might be just a little-bitty bit too much drinking going on here. In fact, Nanci dedicates this cd to the memory of Odetta: "All God's children needs Vodka." If there were a song #14, it would be a cover of "Rehab!" Cheers!

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why does everyone complain ?, June 15, 2009

By 

Roderick Keech (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Loving Kind (Audio CD)

Every reviewer so far has criticised this disc as having too many political songs. Why ? When you consider how politics, especially US Internal & Foreign policy has effected the whole world and all our lives,(not to mention the Global Economic Crisis) I think it entirely appropriate for some commentary. Anyway, it is not as if the lyrics are so blatant that you feel bludgeoned over the head by them. I am sure, that without the liner notes, most listeners would be entirely unaware of the political commentary attributed to a lot of these songs.

As Peter Cooper, in the liner notes states, ""Still Life" is about George W. Bush (and, I'm afraid, more about the rest of us than we'll care to admit)". This comment seems to be right on the mark, given other reviewer's comments about too much politics. Everyone seems to want to pretend nothing has happened and bury their collective heads in the sand. The song never mentions Mr Bush, so if you were not in possession of the booklet, you would be none the wiser. Therefore the criticism seems silly, as the lyric could just as easily relate to anyone.

Thankfully Griffith's vocals are ageing like fine wine and I applaud her for standing for 'causes'. "The Loving Kind" is a tragic reminder of the controversy of a mixed marriage in 1958. What kind of people were we then and are we any better now ? Causes and issues are important, and if they can be conveyed via song, all the better.

Once again, Griffith's liner notes are more eloquent than I could ever be:

"Finally....to the memory of Mildred & Richard Loving. They changed the heart of my nation with their love. May they stand for change in laws of love (there should never be laws of love) for the future. Long live the Loving Kind. Government.....Out of who we Love and Out of our bedrooms!"

Thank you for getting back on the writing track Nanci. The world needs a spokesperson for LOVE.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Weird, kinda sad effort for Ms Nanci, August 27, 2009

By 

verbaud "mick" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Loving Kind (Audio CD)

Read the reviews. Seen Nanci several times on both coasts. Love her talent and heart and live shows. Have most of her CD's. Bought this one. Weird, kinda sad effort. Don't know what it is. The voice as always, a thrill. Maybe it was the choice of material. The artist seems almost distracted. The smokin' and drinkin' songs? Eerie to me. Almost like outtakes of other recordings that didn't seem good enough to release.
I'm sure this CD will grow on me, but the 1st few listens just didn't do it.
That makes me sad.