Last Of The True Believers

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It might be easy to be cynical about an album that opens with a song about “true believers” and ends with Nanci Griffith singing “Here’s to all the dreamers”—but if anyone will convert listeners to a kind of literary optimism, it’s the Texas singer-songwriter who carved out her own gentle, hypnotic corner of the Austin post-outlaw scene. <i>The Last of the True Believers</i> shows Griffith at her twangiest, a treat for those who want to bop along to her sharply observed lyrics (the release is dedicated to Count Basie, who Griffith says “once made [her] clumsy feet dance”). Griffith’s fourth studio album got enough attention to finally earn the singer-songwriter a major label deal as well as a Grammy nomination. Despite being recognized in the Folk category, the album had a much stronger country bent than her prior releases—deploying an all-star backing band that included Béla Fleck and Mark O’Connor to expand Griffith’s sonic palate. Its centerpiece, the heart-wrenching and warming “Love at the Five & Dime,” became Kathy Mattea’s breakthrough single, reaching No. 3 on Billboard’s country charts just months after the release of Griffith’s album. Griffith’s version, though, is unforgettable, understated, and deeply felt with harmony vocals by Lyle Lovett and perfect pedal steel by the iconic Lloyd Green. .

via Apple Music

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