A veteran listener could be forgiven for wondering what in the world she's talking about. Every Patty Griffin album offers, often simultaneously, beauty and challenge. The depth of her lyric writing and the intensity of her singing have never relented, and if her last studio album, 1000 Kisses, ended on the exultant note of the Mexican ballad, "Mil Besos," every second of that exultation felt honestly earned for both singer and audience.