Figurative flannel shirts that are a perfect fit for the soul—every music fan worth their salt has slipped on a few of those. New songs sound like they’ve been with you forever and a day. Old songs sound fresh and new. It’s a weird thing, right? They sing to you in ways other off-the-rack wonders don’t. I can reel off a long list of artists young and old whose songs and albums have connected with me in both ways.
Such has been the case with Sophie Gault, whose debut with the Broken Things rippled through my 2022. Her followup, last year’s Baltic Street Hotel, was another gem that resonated due to its artful depiction of the inner struggles we all face—and, too, the woozy melodies that wafted from the grooves. That her rendition of Patty Griffin’s “Every Little Bit” was just one of the album’s many highlights speaks volumes about its strength.
Here, she shares an acoustic version of the song. Griffin’s original on her 1996 debut, Living With Ghosts, both takes pride in and heaves stones at the emotional armor she cloaks herself in. It’s a riveting acoustic performance, electric even, that spirals into a vocal frenzy by the end, with Griffin barely able to spit “bit.” Gault restrains the rancor while fermenting a forlorn quality into the lyrics via her expressive voice. The result is a potent and powerful reminder of the ghosts that walk alongside us.
The Old Grey Cat 