Still, Griffin manages to capture Dylan’s spirit and personality, and more generally the feeling of the 1960s folk music scene, through his elegiac, romantic delivery and dexterous acoustic guitar picking. On simply rendered, romantically craving ruminations like ‘Girl from the North Country’ (from 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, later re-recorded with Johnny Cash for 1969’s Nashville Skyline), ‘Tomorrow is a Long Time’ (which Dylan first recorded live in 1963 at NYC’s still-going Town Hall, later released on 1971’s Greatest Hits Vol. II), and ‘One Too Many Mornings’ (from 1964’s The Times They Are A-Changin’; Griffin says it was the ‘first Dylan song I absolutely fell in love with’), you can almost imagine yourself sitting enraptured around the stage with your bohemian buddies in some smoke-filled 1960s Greenwich Village saloon. And on two 1975 Blood on the Tracks beauties, the bucolic ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ and lightly-brushed ‘If You See Her, Say Hello,’ and a slowed-down, serenading version of 1966 Blonde on Blonde’s ‘I Want You,’ his arrangements are delicate and dreamy, and his voice amorous and affecting. Even Dylan’s maudlin, gruffly-sung 1997 Time Out of Mind ballad ‘Make You Feel My Love’ sounds calming and candlelit under Griffin’s caressing touch.
As on ‘Make You Feel,’ Belgian Alexis Van Eekhout’s jazzy tenor sax adorns the stretched out, searching 1978 Street-Legal soliloquy ‘Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)’ (which also showcases the soulful backing vocals of Anne-Em’) and the punchier, playful 1965 Bringing It All Back Home paean (written as a portrait of Dylan’s future wife, Sara Lownds) ‘Love Minus Zero/No Limit.’ Meanwhile, the LP’s two final tunes, both from Freewheelin’. - a live rendition of ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright ’ (recorded in 2010 at the Cahors Folk Club in front of a coughing crowd) and Dylan’s adaptation of a traditional country blues song (first recorded in 1928 by Mississippi bluesman Bo Carter), ‘Corrina, Corrina’ - are enhanced by Dègre’s twangy harmonica. Whether you’re a die-hard Dylan devotee or a toe-dipping dabbler, you’ll cherish this chance to rediscover the legend’s sentimental side.
Download the album on iTunes or Amazon."- The Big Takeover.
"[Michel Griffin’s] beautifully produced 6th album is now available on iTunes -
Feel my love : Michel Griffin Sings Bob Dylan’s Finest Lovesongs. 14 tracks, 51 minutes of pure joy.
Michel's voice - all velvet & smoke - brings new life to the familiar lyrics: from Simple Twist of Fate, via I Want You to Make You Feel My Love, which is arranged for three guitars and a saxophone and sung with such feeling it'll give you goosebumps." - Music-News.com
"Michel Griffin treats Bob Dylan’s vast body of work with the utmost of care on the tender
Feel my love : Michel Griffin Sings Bob Dylan’s Finest Lovesongs.
With careful delicate arrangements, the songs positively shimmer and shine. Vocals serve front and center as they should, with Michel Griffin’s voice imbuing the songs with a sense of intimacy. The smallest details matter most from the use of saxophones to the finger-picking that adorns much of the album. ...
By far the highlight is the stripped-down style of Girl From The North Country. Michel Griffin shows off his impeccable mastery of the guitar in its quietest moments. ... Respectful of the originals while offering his own take on these true-blue American classics, Michel Griffin’s Feel my love : Michel Griffin Sings Bob Dylan’s Finest Lovesongs simply stuns." - Skope Magazine
"« The Lot has long inspired me. I will now sing a song about an old stone house which is dear to me, it's called 'The Valley Time Forgot'.
» Michel Griffin was in the Place de la Libération on Thursday, August 25, long after sunset, as hints of the night's gathering cool began to fall on the city.
He sings his ballads in the language of Shakespeare, but he communicates a lot with his audience. He talks about himself, speaking of a dear friend lost 45 years ago and for whom he composed a ballad that he then goes on to sing. He plays out his memories on the guitar. For this Thursday concert in the Place de la Libération, over a hundred people were attentively gathered around tables, where they could also revel in the blues amplified by Frenchie Dègre's discreet & efficient harmonica playing. The melancholy was palpable in the late summer evening, and the watching diners let themselves be carried away by Michel's gentleness and charisma, which received lengthy applause." - La Dépêche.
You can read the whole article here.
"On Wednesday, August 17, the hangar in La Toulzanie that used to be used for drying tobacco hosted for the 14th year Michel Griffin and his friends for
an evening dedicated to the acoustic guitar. It was the second concert of the summer on the initiative of the association « Latitude, friends of Barbara » which organizes
free weekly lectures and screenings. Michel Griffin, who runs the Cahors Folk Club, had gathered around him guitarists, a harmonica player and a singer, of all ages;
one of them even brought along one of his most brilliant students, aged just 14." - La Dépêche.
From left to right: Clément Calles, Jean-Paul Piquard, Michel Griffin, Frenchie Dègre and Frédéric Daubié.
There's not much about the music in this review
in La Dépêche of the benefit concert for Haiti, which Mark Newman & I ended up opening on 9th February 2010. But, if you were there, you might recognise yourself in the photo accompanying
the article ! More than 700 people turned up in a blizzard, to see
Mark Newman and myself,
Rag Mama Rag,
Francesca Graziano & Limmie Snell,
the Toubib Jazz Band,
Judy Blair Quartet and
Gary Brooker (Founder of Procol Harum)
- and a good time was had by all.
Most importantly, the concert raised more than 10,000 € [$14,000] for the orphans of Haiti.
A much fuller review appeared in the 18th February edition of La Vie Quercynoise, where Jean-Louis Crassac had this to say about us:
" Marc [sic] Newman et Michel Griffin, qu'on a eu le plaisir de découvrir au Carré d'Art, avaient pour redoutable mission d'ouvrir le bal. Deux chanteurs guitaristes rappelant sans servilité le duo Simon and Garfunkel, avec en plus la touche d'humour toujours maniée avec délicatesse par ces deux Britanniques terriblement quercynois."
There's a full review of the concert on the 'French Entrée' website, and there's also now a YouTube channel devoted to clips from the concert.