Gretchen Phillips Was Just Comforting Her

Gretchen Phillips has been blazing a trail as a singer songwriter for well over 20 years. Her unique approach to this genre has allowed her to keep going and allowed to stay far away from being just another cliche girl with a guitar. Her latest album, I Was Just Comforting Her is the most humanistic record of her career and as always steers clear of being just another singer songwriter album.

While about half of I Was Just Comforting Her is her with a guitar going acoustic, the other half of the record is a solid folky album that sounds something like a modern update of an old Joni Mitchell album. Gretchen is folksy and warm and her songs are quirky little numbers that utilize everything at her disposal whether it be electronics or more musicians. The result is an album that's a rich tapestry of empathic artistry that's rarely heard in this genre today and gives a glimpse into the life and times of this most prolific artist.

From the theremin's on, "In Case of Rapture," to the politically charged plea of, "Red State/Blue State," I Was Just Comforting Her  is a thought provoking record in a time when our thoughts need to be provoked. Political, edgy, and confident, Gretchen Phillips is a veteran at creating songs that make you think and she does this as if it's second nature. Of course, I Was Just Comforting Her isn't all heavy topics and political idealism...when she sings, that she likes to lay in bed you believe her and you can't help but laugh because she insists that it might be the cause of her career ending.

More than a singer songwriter record, Gretchen Phillips' I Was Just Comforting Her  is a nice album of concerned and emotional folk pop created by an artist who is smart enough to avoid all the common pitfalls that plague so many albums like this. That really should come as no surprise given her lengthy career and status in the Texas Music Hall of Fame. If you love folk or the idea of the singer songwriter than do yourself a favor and comfort Gretchen Phillips by picking up her album!