Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin works outside the brightest part of the spotlight, but her songs are center stage and her following is loyal. Among the acts who have covered her material: the Dixie Chicks, Kelly Clarkson and Bette Midler. Her own new record — the gospel-driven, Nashville-recorded Downtown Church — is packed with luminaries, including Raul Malo, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller. Easing into songs by Hank Williams and “Big Mama” Thornton, among others, Griffin and her guests perform these traditional pieces with exceptional tenderness and warmth. Expect nothing less when the singer-songwriter returns to Liberty Hall alongside guitar hero Miller.