The Dust Bowl Symphony

Performer: Nanci Griffith
Artist: Beth Nielsen Chapman; Sonny Curtis; Darius Rucker; London Symphony Orchestra
Engineer: John Holbrook
Producer: Peter Collins
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Nanci Griffith (vocals, guitar); Beth Nielsen Chapman, Sonny Curtis, Darius Rucker (vocals); John Mock (acoustic guitar, whistle); Frank Christian (acoustic guitar); Doug Lancio (acoustic, electric & resonator guitars); Lee Satterfield (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); John Catchings (cello); Glen D. Hardin (piano); James Hooker (keyboards); Ron de la Vega (acoustic bass, electric bass); Pat McInerney (drums, percussion); Le Ann Ethridge, Jennifer Kimball (background vocals); London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England. Includes liner notes by Nanci Griffith. To say the least, The Dust Bowl Symphony is an ambitious effort on Nanci Griffith's behalf, an attempt to recast several of her songs in the context of a suite, complete with backing from the London Symphony Orchestra. Intriguing idea, but one that doesn't really quite work. Griffith sounds her best in intimate surroundings, which this album clearly illustrates; often, the songs themselves are lost in the swirl of strings, and it's hard to find their emotional core. It's not a complete disaster and there are some moments that work (surprisingly, duets with Beth Nielsen Chapman and Darius Rucker feel more successful than the cuts that just feature Griffith), but ultimately this is a curious, unfruitful detour in an adventurous career. When you take as many risks as Griffith does, it's inevitable that some projects won't work out as well as others. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Q (12/99, p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...reconfirming that what Laura Ashley is to the flower-print dress, Griffith is to American folk, and always will be."

Nanci Griffith has been a shining light in the American roots music community since the 1980s. Considered the female equivalent of maverick singer-songwriters such as Lyle Lovett and Dwight Yoakam, Griffith made several stellar albums that blended country, folk, and twangy rockabilly (she's an avowed Buddy Holly & the Crickets fan) into a sound distinctly her own. The Texas native recorded two albums of cover songs that made clear her influences extended well beyond the Lone Star state, and in 2007 she released RUBY'S TORCH, an album of pop standards and ballads that further extended her grasp on vintage American music.

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