Winter Marquee
On her first live collection in nearly a decade and a half, Texas country-folk queen Nanci Griffith and her longtime band, the Blue Moon Orchestra, bring renewed middle-aged gravitas and introspection to original back-catalog Griffith favorites like "I Wish It Would Rain," "Listen to the Radio," and "There's a Light Beyond These Woods." Griffith brings similar grace and authority to songs by others--John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,"Townes Van Zandt's "White Freight Liner," andDylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather"--that she's nearly made her own over the years. On various cuts she gets able assists from musical compatriotsEmmylou Harris,Tom Russell, and Andrew Hardin. Though the four new songs (make thateightnew songs if you fall for the clever marketing snag and shell out the extra dough for theconcert DVD) don't immediately resonate with quite the same vitality as the aforementioned oldies, they'll no doubt grow on Griffith fans in years to come.--Bob Allen