1000 Kisses

1	Rain 4:08
2	Chief 3:11
3	Stolen Car 4:22
4	Making Pies 3:39
5	Be Careful 4:04
6	Long Ride Home 3:33
7	Nobody's Crying 5:22
8	Tomorrow Night 4:40
9	Mil Besos 5:21
10	Reprise 1:20

Barnes & Noble

On her last album, 1998's Flaming Red, Patty Griffin experimented -- quite successfully -- with a dense, impressionistic, electric sound, which was a surprise after her 1996 debut, the set of acoustic home demos that became Living with Ghosts. 1000 Kisses returns her to that acoustic setting, but it's subtly enhanced with accordion, cello, vibes, and piano. Whether she's singing a stripped-down cover of Bruce Springsteen's haunting ballad "Stolen Car," picking up the pace on the jaunty "Chief," which features Griffin on resonator guitar and producer Doug Lancio on mandolin, or assaying some full-throated Spanish on "Mil Besos," the focus is on Griffin's wonderful voice. Mournful, with a country-catch in the middle, it's a beautiful instrument that can sound a bit like early Shawn Colvin, a bit like Emmylou Harris (who sings harmony on "Long Road Home"). On "Tomorrow Night," the old R&B standard that Bob Dylan has also covered, Griffin balances easygoing swing with bittersweet longing and plays some nice blues guitar to boot. Griffin's no slouch as a songwriter -- the Dixie Chicks, Bette Midler, and Reba McEntire have all covered her songs -- and the prayerful "Be Careful" and the wistful "Rain" are among her best. But it's that voice that makes 1000 Kisses so seductive. Steve Klinge

All Music Guide

Patty Griffin's third album, her first material to be released since 1998 (the absorption of her former label, A&M, in the Polygram-Universal merger left an album Griffin cut in 2000 in the vault, where it's sadly likely to stay), strikes a stylistic middle ground between the stark voice-and-guitar approach of her debut, Living With Ghosts, and the eclectic textures of Flaming Red. 1,000 Kisses was mostly recorded live in the studio with a small acoustic band, including Doug Lancio on guitar and mandolin, Brian Standefer on cello, Giles Reeves on vibraphone and percussion, and Michael Ramos on accordion; the feel of the performances is close and intimate, with the occasional cough or footfall audible in the background, and these sessions capture more than a bit of the cinéma vérité mood of Living With Ghosts. But if the album's production style is subtle, it's also a superb match for the material, and without forcing their hand, Griffin and the musicians can sway from the life-on-the-street swagger of "Chief" to the Latin romanticism of "Mil Besos" to the torchy late-night blues of "Tomorrow Night" without missing a step, finding a broad emotional spectrum in these low-key sessions. And while 1,000 Kisses finds Griffin blending covers in with her own compositions for the first time, she proves to be a first-rate interpretive singer (her version of Bruce Springsteen's "Stolen Car" actually improves on "the Boss"' original), and her own songs are splendid, especially the moving widow's lament "Making Pies" and the moody lead-off track "Rain." And regardless of who wrote the material, Griffin's voice -- a tower of strength capable of expressing remarkable emotional vulnerability -- remains a wonder to behold. 1,000 Kisses finds Patty Griffin at the top of her game, and one can only hope we don't have to wait four years for the follow-up. Mark Deming

Rolling Stone

1/2 She channels Patsy Cline on "Tomorrow Night" and delivers a devastating cover of Bruce Springsteen's devastating "Stolen Car," but her own tunes are just as blistering. Pat Blashill

Entertainment Weekly

A singer-songwriter with smarts and a charming identity crisis...Bipolarity has its benefits.