The unique voice and songsmithery of arguably one of America's finest musicians.

Track Listing

1. When I Dream
2. If These Walls Could Speak
3. Ruby's Arms
4. Never Be The Sun
5. Bluer Than Blue
6. Brave Companion Of The Road
7. Grapefruit Moon
8. Please Call Me Baby
9. Late Night Grande Hotel
10. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
11. Drops From The Faucet

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12368 in Music
• Released on: 2008-08-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

CD Description
Where most singer-songwriters making an album of torch songs would stick with the usual suspects--"One More for the Road" or "As Time Goes By", perhaps--Nanci Griffith has made a career out of rarely doing what's expected. As a result, RUBY'S TORCH, her album of jazzy, lovelorn numbers, features not only startlingly apt reinterpretations of two of her own songs, "Late Night Grande Hotel" and "Brave Companion of the Road", but also unexpected choices from songwriters as diverse as Tom Waits (three of his songs, in fact) and Jimmy Webb. Griffith also extracts something new and personal from theoverplayed soft-rock hit "Bluer Than Blue", a sappy late-1970s charter for one-hit-wonder Michael Johnson. This lovely collection even checks in with the requisite Sinatra nod, a fine version of "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning".

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Customer Reviews

Torch Songs-Grown Men Will Turn To Blancmange
"These are gorgeous, string-rich arrangements, and Griffith's performance is compelling. Never the most polished chanteuse, she radiates earnestness, the once-chirrupy voice given a mellow timbre by the years." Paul Taylor

This CD for Nancy Griffith is the most eclectic grouping of wonderfully written and sung 'torch' songs( A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love)Wikipedia. She borrows from others, adds her own, and the marvelous 'Blue Moon" orchestra provides the sound that shows these
songs are beautifully written and the production restrained, with piano, acoustic guitar and, of course, strings which together makes this album 'one for the ages'. She laments lost love, night cabarets and waiting for 'the one to come along'.

Three of these songs are by Tom Waits, the cover song, 'Ruby's Arms, 'Grapefruit Moon' and 'Please Call me Baby'. Jimmy Webb and Irish singer Donal Longh each have a song, and the best, the very best song,
'In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning' is sung with the just the right tone and rhythm and sound. Frank Sinatra would be pleased. 'Late Night At Grande Hotel', Nanci's own song, sums up the feeling of wanting and need and good-bye.

Paul Taylor in his review gave me a laugh, but how true his remarks are; "Grown men will turn to blancmange at first hearing of Griffith's lushly-orchestrated version of the break-up ballad, Ruby's Arms. "

Highly, highly recommended. prisrob 11/24/06

Better than recent albums
For me, this just scrapes a fourth star. My main irritation with it is the inclusion of two Nanci standards that really didn't need recording again.
The rest is nice, a bit safe, but nice.
I was intrigued to hear NG's version of the classic Crystal Gayle 'When I dream'. She does a decent job of it, but like all the songs here, doesn't exactly redefine it.
I expect it was the reaction to 'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning' (recorded previously) that made Nanci do this record. It's on here too, and is probably my favourite, along with 'Please Call Me Baby' and 'Drops From the Faucet'. It's good to hear Nanci singing properly and reminding us what a deep and expressive tone she can adopt when she isn't torturing her own material. Proper singing!
Ultimately though, it's likely just another to file under 'G' and forget, nice as it is.