Two-time GRAMMY Award winner Patty Griffin is set to release her long-awaited eleventh studio album, ‘Crown of Roses,' on July 25 via her PGM Recordings label in partnership with Thirty Tigers. The album marks Griffin’s first new full-length project in more than six years and is now available for pre-order and pre-save.
The first song from the album, ‘Back At The Start,' is out now and serves as the opening track, setting a deep and contemplative tone. Written during the pandemic and later revived after initially being set aside, the track explores themes of personal truth and emotional inertia.
“I came back to the song because I like that first line,” says Griffin. “Part of it is about getting on with it, but part is also about staying stuck and going through the motions. It's really a constant thing to try to be alive while you're alive.”
‘Crown of Roses' continues Griffin’s legacy of introspective songwriting, weaving themes of love, grief, resilience, and identity into a poetic and personal tapestry. From reflections on her late mother—whose wedding day photo appears on the album cover—to the physical and emotional aftermath of cancer treatment, Griffin turns inward and outward in equal measure.
Produced by longtime collaborator Craig Ross, the album features contributions from bandmates David Pulkingham on guitar and Michael Longoria on drums. The eight-track record moves fluidly through sparse folk, shadowy Americana and soulful gospel blues, capturing the essence of both Griffin’s adopted Texas and her childhood home in Maine. Robert Plant makes a guest appearance on the haunting ‘Long Time.'
Tracklist:
- Back At The Start
- Born In A Cage
- The End
- Longtime
- All The Way Home
- Way Up To The Sky
- I Know A Way
- A Word
“If I try to hit things on the nose, they don’t feel authentic to me,” Griffin explains. “If I can emotionally dance around things, it feels like I can be more honest singing it.”
To support the new album, Griffin will embark on a co-headlining tour this fall with fellow GRAMMY winner Rickie Lee Jones. The tour kicks off October 10 at the Ellis Theater in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and wraps up November 1 at Dallas’ Longhorn Ballroom. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. local time via pattygriffin.com/tour.
“Rickie Lee has been a North Star for me,” says Griffin. “With songs like hers, I’ve reminded myself over and over, women have voices that need to be heard and that have great value.”
Additional headline shows include a special album release concert at Sony Hall in New York City on July 29 and a Texas hometown date at Houston’s Heights Theater on October 8.
For full tour dates and album information, visit pattygriffin.com.
