From a Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith
Well, the title is misleading, as this collection showcases only her MCA  era; a more accurate designation would beFrom a Distance: The Best Stuff  Nanci Griffith Did After She Left Philo and Before She Went to Elektra, but  maybe that's not catchy enough. Whatiscompelling is the music itself.  During the period of 1987 to 1991, Griffith wrote some of her best material. She  also discovered Julie Gold's classic title song, but found herself floundering  commercially in her transition from folkabilly queen to arch chanteuse.  Griffith's Philo records are still the most memorable--loose and full of Texas  ranginess and sawdust memories. But this compilation is surprisingly satisfying,  as it ends just before she began to take herself too seriously. You can hear a  tinkling banjo driving "Lone Star State of Mind" and a pedal steel guitar as  hillbilly as the Grand Ole Opry on "Ford Econoline." Her little-girl voice  modulates to fetching reediness when necessary and even dips into deep Texas in  the spoken intros to several live performances. But what stands out is the  overall quality of the writing, which turns stunning on the wistful "Gulf Coast  Highway" and on "Trouble in the Fields." If the reason for Griffith's status as  a cult artist has eluded you, this anthology should go a long way toward  clearing up the mystery.--Alanna Nash