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Over the course of a half dozen albums, soulful folk singer Patty Griffin has won an impeccable reputation as an insightful songwriter and passionate vocal performer, and her songs have been covered by artists as diverse as The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, and Bette Midler. But the last few years have seen Griffin expand on an already revered body of work. Her 2007 album Children Running Through revealed a previously unexplored focus on gospel music, and on songs such as "Heavenly Day" and "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" she added her own voice and words to the timeless gospel tradition. And in early 2009, she collaborated with R&B/gospel legend Mavis Staples on the gospel chestnut "Waiting for My Child to Come Home," one of the cornerstones of the critically lauded Oh Happy Day compilation.

Patty Griffin

Griffin's latest album, the just released Downtown Church, represents her most immersive foray yet into the genre. Mixing country and bluegrass hymns, obscure and classic spirituals from the black gospel tradition, Hispanic hymns, a 13th century praisefest from St. Francis of Assisi, and a couple gospel originals, Griffin shows off the breadth of this remarkable music, and reminds us again that "gospel" is a musical tradition that crosses cultures and centuries. CT spoke with Griffin about her new album.

Can you share a little bit about how this gospel album came about? What started the process?

A little over a year ago I was asked to sing with Mavis Staples on a gospel compilation called Oh Happy Day. And, you know, other than being totally intimidated at the prospect of singing with Mavis, I was honored. I don't really have much of a background in gospel music. Other than some Staple Singers albums, and Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace album, I don't really know gospel music very well. But being with Mavis, just being around people who took the music, and what the music represented, so seriously, I realized that something very moving was going on. We would hold hands before we recorded, and pray together, and it was the most amazing thing. I was really touched by it.

Shortly after that, Peter York [president of EMI Christian Music Group] suggested that I do an entire gospel album. That started the ball rolling. I told him that I wouldn't do it unless Buddy [singer/songwriter and producer Buddy Miller] would produce it—and Buddy signed up right away. He's kind of a walking encyclopedia for this kind of music, and he sent over hundreds and hundreds of songs for me to listen to. And he found this beautiful, old church in downtown Nashville—the downtown church of the album title—in which to record the songs. That's how it started.

There's a real eclecticism in the songs you've chosen—country and bluegrass classics, African-American spirituals, ancient Catholic hymns. Did you consciously set out to make an ecumenical album—or a "mongrel gospel" album, if you will?

"Mongrel gospel"—I like that! I was pretty intentional about [the song choices]. If you listen to my other albums, the albums where I've written my own songs, they're all over the map stylistically. There's folk and country and blues and gospel and rock 'n' roll. I'm not a fan of labels and categories, really. I like to mix it up. And I did that on Downtown Church as well.

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