Artist Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin may have drifted into more generic, Sheryl Crow-style rock after her 1996 debut, Living With Ghosts, but she returned to her roots with 2004’s Impossible Dream, which had less of a pop focus and featured cameos from Emmylou Harris and Lisa Germano. Her most recent album is Downtown Church, in which the self-described "lapsed Catholic" grappled with her feelings about religion by recording gospel tunes in Nashville's Downtown Presbyterian. With fellow Americana singer Buddy Miller manning the sound board, Griffin turned out a heartfelt collection of covers both traditional ("Wade In The Water") and unconventional ("I Smell A Rat"). 

Updated 11/30/2010