Patty Griffin - Downtown Church

On repeated listening, Children Running Through has proved nothing short of revelatory - it's an astonishing album, fiery, delicate and soulful, at once deeply rooted in americana traditions and unmistakeably modern, packed with great songs delivered unerringly by Griffin herself. Downtown Church, Griffin's follow up, has a much stronger gospel flavour to it than anything I've heard from her before, and while I don't (yet?) love it as much as its predecessor, there's much on it to take to heart; so far, it's a pair of collaborations with other favourites of mine ("Little Fire" w/ Emmylou Harris and "Coming Home To Me" w/ Julie Miller), and a lovely, quiet take on "All Creatures of Our God and King" that have most struck me.