Patty Griffin delivers a singular performance at a sold out show at World Cafe Live

Photo by Joe del Tufo | http://www.joedeltufo.com/
Patty Griffin played an inspired set last night at a sold out show at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia in support of her eighth album, American Kid. Pulling from her eighteen-year career, she opened with an aching rendition of “Be Careful” from 1000 Kisses. Other highlights were the guitar-laden “Flaming Red” and “Top Of The World,” from her recently unearthed Silver Bell album that had been shelved for over a decade. She performed two covers – a haunting version of Dorothy Love Coates’ “The Strange Man” and “The Glory of Love” by Jimmy Durante, which closed the show nicely. What any newcomer would take from this show, aside from the pure professionalism of Griffin and her band, is the incredible wide palette of styles she pulls from. Ultimately it is witnessing one of the most beautiful and singular voices in music, at the top of her game. Opening the show was newcomer Parker Millsap, who performed material from his new self-titled album.