The Last Of The True Believers

Conjuring images of sawdust, line dancing and incest as all good Country should.

Holy fuck, I wasn’t expecting much from this album when I woke up this morning, and even less so after the opening bars of its first track. But there I was standing at a bus stop in baking heat wearing a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt, and this album made me completely forget the searing sun and almost reduced me to tears. It’s so fucking good. Griffiths’ voice is so uplifting, it’s majestic. The production is incredible. This album just shimmers from start to finish - with the title track and “Fly By Night” my personal highlights. Every note seems meticulously placed so as to evoke as much emotion as possible. This is a country pop masterpiece and the easiest 5 stars I’ve given out so far.

3.2 - A sweet country sound, bordering on saccharine. Also extremely feminine. Listening to this record makes me picture a group of middle-aged white women sitting out on camping chairs, sipping white wine, getting a little rowdy, getting a little sad.

About. Damn. Time. Sifted through enough punk, British bullhickey... overdue for a steel guitar.

I knew this album was going to be good but it killed expectations. I love all the country instrumentation as there’s tons of steel, dobro, mandolin, fiddle, banjo. Her vocals are unique as well and remind me of one of my favorite singers Emmylou Harris with its more folky country sound. Very good, no bad tracks.

My family took a lot of road trips when I was a kid. We lived in NC But we drove to TX, Yellowstone National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park at different points. Nanci Griffith was the soundtrack to these drives across the country and honestly I can't think of a better soundtrack to driving through the mountains and across the heartland of this country. This probably veers too far into country music for my taste these days but the nostalgia of it is strong, her voice is beautiful, and her music helped shape my love of blue grass even though I don't love country.

I enjoyed it! Definitely a fun one to kick this off with. My favorite song was probably "One of These Days." Her voice really comes through in the whole album and I loved the fiddle. I looked Nanci Griffith up and apparently she passed in the last year which is tragic; she was best known for the most played song on the album ("Love at the Five and Dime" which I thought had a really nice vocal line in the eponymous line) but with someone else covering it that blew up in the country world. I hadn't ever heard of her but it seems like she was pretty important and influential.

Damn y’all ain’t afraid of broadcasting the classism you’ve tied up with the country genre.

Iris Demint vibes. Old girl country or modern girl indie.

Good, but imho nothing special Country album.

Ahhh Ice Queen Nanci Griffith, the one that got away. I used to stalk her and her younger sister until she filed for a restraining order, forcing me to attempt suicide 37 times. Bitch. I banged the younger sister though. Hard. Without consent.

Country y folk. ¿Qué más puedo pedir? Voz preciosa.

LOVE IT!

I can get down with this opening track. Love At The Five And Dime is a great tune! More Than A Whisper is such a strong lyrical song. Banks Of The Pontchartrain is another fucking banger. Goin' Gone is a great tune but it's a little hard for me to listen to right now. Something that shows through in her work is her effortless mastry of blending melody accents and lyrics. It shows off her sterling lyric work and usually catches me. One Of These Days kills. Damn what a fine album.

This album is like a warm hug during a thunderstorm telling you everything will be okay. I did not think I would enjoy this, but this album was one of the most enjoyable experiences. It's nice to get out of all the British new wave and shitty UK drill for good old-fashioned country tunes. The perfect album to sit out on the porch in your rocking chair with a glass of sweet tea. 5/5, 10/10.

A country artist I have never heard. And that's a hard feat to do! 5 star album all the way

I am a fully paid-up member of the NG fan club and boy how she's missed. Be grateful that this - her best album - is on Spotify as her catalogue is only patchily available on streaming. This is right in the middle of her proper Imperial Period - starting with previous album Once In A Very Blue Moon (not available on Spotify) and stretching over five albums to Storms where she was operating with a quality and consistency that few singer-songwriters can match. Virtually every track here is gold, Love at the Five and Dime of course the stand-out.

cool

Amazing country album. Amazing find that I’ll return to.

Well isnt this just flawless

Country done right.

Powerhouse of a voice. I got pretty excited by track 1, but then couldn’t find another track to match it. Some close contenders include “Fly By Night” and “Lookin’ For The Time (Workin’ Girl)”. So close to giving it a Four, but it’s lacking some quality that distinguished my favorite albums of this genre.

thank god this doesn't suffer from 80s production disease because i am a giant sucker for her voice and these kinds of songs. ultimately felt kinda middling but nice.

This was nice. Maybe a bit more country-leaning than folk-leaning for my particular taste, but I enjoyed it. 3 stars.

If I had one genre that I actually can't find much to like about it, it would be pop country, and this album is just that. It isn't as egregious as what you may hear on half of the radio stations available while you're driving in the middle of nowhere, but it still really isn't good for me. Country is built a lot on the stories the lyrics tell, but none of these songs feel any more interesting than what you could hear on something in any other song, and the instruments, while I suppose "soothing" are repetitive. That country twang can only be added to so many songs before I start to become numb to it, and then it goes from being annoying to boring, both things you don't want your music to be. Could I see why people may like this? Perhaps, and it's year of release was around the time when country music was starting to transition from more of a blues and folk focus to something more like what it is today, so this is probably for that "revolution" in music, but I just don't enjoy it. If you don't like country music, this does nothing to win you over, but it's certainly not the worst album I've gotten, and the last two songs on the album show some hint of something that could be good. Too little too late, however.

Lullabies for adults.

So bad. The folkiest folk, mixed with yodeling country. I couldn’t even get through the whole thing. Listen again: no way Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song:

I got two track in and was hot with an overwhelming feeling of I'm not wasting my Saturday with this shit. Cuntry music can fuck right off.

I did not like this album at all. It’s the old timey country love songs that I just hate. I would actively turn this off if played in the future.

My parents played a LOT of Nanci Griffith during my childhood (and Allison Krauss, Iris DeMent, etc) so I have a huge soft spot for that whole scene. Really enjoyed this though as far as NG albums go I prefer Other Voices, Other Rooms.

Fucking awesome made me really sad

another surprise; I'm really not into country but the songwriting on this is top shelf.

This album blew me away. I wasn't expecting something so soft and soothing. Nanci's soft voice and lyrics sounds so comforting with the instrumentals adding a sense of nostalgia in every song. Honestly, as someone who thought that country music wasn't for me, it left me with a different opinion on the genre.

Superb

Man, Nanci Griffith was pure magic. Her voice, her lyrics, her storytelling. In so many ways, she reminds me of John Prine. Good storytelling with songs about love and loss, but always approachable and human. There's that small element of humor in her words and in her voice. More than anything, this is a record that I can kind of just live in. Its somewhere that I want to hang out and sip coffee. Especially on a autumn day such as today (Oct 3, 2025). "Vibe" feels to trite to explain it, but this record is a feeling. It's warm and lovely and I'm okay if it plays all day. Also, I can't listen to Nanci Griffith without thinking about Meg. Her parents are big Nanci fans, so she was kind of raised on this music.

The haven't been a ton of first time listens that I've given five stars to but this one just hits right.

I've never really been a country music guy, but every so often an artist allows me to appreciate the genre. This was great; I enjoyed both the songwriting and the delivery. Nanci Griffith's voice suits the material perfectly. I can see a direct through-line from here to another country artist I enjoy; Waxahatchee

I am at a 5. I am also in bliss. Is it too late to make that Trio we got way earlier into a Quartet? I know Dolly, Emmylou & Linda don’t need a 4th, but if they ever wanted one, I’d immediately vouch for Nanci Griffith – what a beautiful, beautiful voice. Her vocals add so much emotional depth to what’s already an album full of incredibly well written songs. I know I’m a sucker for country, and this album pretty much hits on every country trope I like, but even if I could remove my biases, I just think there’s something beautiful to the whole thing here. When I think of country music, I continue to curse the name of Toby Keith and all the other motherfuckers who took this style of country far away and made it into sucking off the troops, drinking beer, sexualizing girls in bikinis, and a bunch of other platitudinal bullshit that doesn’t really represent what country was always made to capture. It’s this type of sound, and these types of stories. It’s the slice of life Americana with good storytelling that calls back to younger days full of starry-eyed hope and wonder. It’s exactly what this album captures so well, and so beautifully. It certainly helps that there’s a real variety to these tracks – this goes all over the place tonally and even geographically in the lyrics, but it stays pretty grounded and anchored by the core instrumentation of the acoustic guitar, the steel guitar, the fiddle, and the really light percussion. No two tracks feel quite the same, especially if you actually bother to read the lyrics. Her voice just glides on top of everything else though, the little missing puzzle piece that makes these songs totally pop. Even when the choruses get a little repetitive, her voice is just so damn good that it’s easy to get lost in it without a care. I could keep going, but I just really, really, really enjoyed this. I know there’s a disposition against modern country, and it’s well deserved, but this is the type of album that makes me pray that this style can come back into the forefront someday. Intelligent writing, great storytelling, simple soundscapes, and great vocals. That’s all it takes, and while it’s easier said than done, I really think we can get there if people just put in the damn effort, just like Nanci Griffith did here. Just a stellar 5.

want on vinyl 10 10 10’s across the board

This was just the change of pace I’ve been needing on this project! Some steel guitar was music to my ears and Nanci’s songs were great! What a terrific listen!

Country Folk, pero en los 80, muy tranquilero pero mola para trabajar o cocinar y escuchar de fondo

Hooked from the first ten seconds of the first song. Sweet voice, sweet lyrics, sweet fiddle. Would absolutely listen again.

Such a great album -- really top-notch. Nanci Griffith sure could write songs. I could listen to this on repeat.

Very good!

Simply just some good ol' classic country that sounds great. 4.5 up to 5.

Brilliant. Great vocalist. Great songs. Somehow I missed her back then.

Bello country

Superb songwriting. Great performances. Masterful.

Absolutely brilliant country, defies the usual stereotypes of the genre and delivers on every level. Enjoyable and comforting.

Absolutely lovely country/folk album. Not a bad song on it.

When I think of classic country I think of this sound. Such a lovely album.

Well this was lovely. More like this, please. More!

Best song - Love At The Five & Dime

A Nashville album with pedal steel guitar like this is going to get a 5 star every single time from me. Put this in an enema and shoot it straight into my ass. Perfect music.

This is the voice I most closely associate with my mum. Except probably her own voice, and her mum's and okay excluding people from our immediate lives.

Angelic. 💙. 5

Such a lovely voice and talented songwriter

Today's album is like country folk, which has a genre title. It's called folkabilly, apparently. Pretty solid easy listening record. Nancy's like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, or, in modern music, like Alison Krauss. Favourite songs: St. Olav's Gate, Love's Found a Shoulder, Lookin' For the Time (Workin' Girl), Banks of The Pontchartrain, Love at the Five & Dime, More Than a Whisper, The Last of the True Believers, Goin' Gone, One of These Days, Fly By Night Least favourite songs: The Wing & the Wheel 5/5

I love country music

This surpassed my expectations. It's everything I want in a country album: story-forward, well-written, and concise. I love Nanci Griffith's voice and melodies, and the production is on point. I'm already looking forward to listening again. Highlights: The Last Of The True Believers, Love At The Five & Dime, St. Olav's Gate, Banks Of The Pontchartrain, Lookin' For The Time (Workin' Girl), Fly By Night

Love her unique sound.

Excellent

Loved this

Mmm 5

She is an American treasure. 5 stars.

Stunning and raw new America country album.

Country y folk. ¿Qué más puedo pedir? Voz preciosa.

utterly charming

One of my favorite songs in college was "Once In a Very Blue Moon" by Nanci Griffith, which I had on a mix tape. It was nice to spend some time with her again today. This is lovely and it makes me wonder why she wasn't more of a country music superstar, since she does it so very well.

This was getting a 5 whether I loved it or not. Boy, did I love it!! My one complaint is how short the album is, and every time that I listened, it just seemed to get shorter. I wanted more.

Heard before: No Favourites: Banks of the Pontchartrain, lookin for the time (working girl), one of these days Finally an artist that I haven't heard of. And she seems pretty good, I enjoyed this album. It is very pleasant indeed.

I liked it, easy to listen to.

Boss

Hit the spot.

A really nice album with catchy singable songwriting, a storytellers gift for a beautiful lyric as well as production that is graceful and always in service to the song. I could see Patti Griffith holding the same lofty position in my library as the brilliant Lucinda Williams. 4 🌟

Not really the kind of music I’d seek out on my own but this is def the kind of stuff my mom would have on cassette tapes to listen to in the car so it feels super nostalgic

Não conhecia, e gostei bastante de todas as músicas! :-)

8/10. This was really nice

Liked by me

Wow, zaskakująco fajne. Bardzo przyjemny głos. Nie jest to jakaś płyta, do której bym chciał wracać regularnie, ale słuchało się naprawdę miło

Country music is dea-

Particularly liked the 1st track, the last of the true believers. Country.

This was a refreshing album. I had never heard of Nanci Griffith and was pleased to find this folk heavy country music infused with Celtic and Appalachian influence. Her voice has a lilting quality and she carves out intricate and delicate melodies. While this album can easily become background noise, it certainly deserves a close listen.

Right at the intersection of folk and country, which is a very nice place to be. The band are very tight, the vocals are flawless, the lyrics talk of an America that doesn't exist anymore (if it ever did). Wonderful

I liked the music, it was relaxing and nice 4 stars

A pleasant voice and catchy tunes. Combined nice with a train ride. An otherwise unremarkable album.

Lovey folk/country album.

Beautiful. I love this era of country

Sadboy anthem

Great folksy vibes; music feels familiar. Feels like a precursor to Bonnie Raitt or someone we'd get at JFFA.

4.0

Not a huge fan of country but I liked this

11th August 2023 Listened during the day while on the way to and from mum and dad’s, saw Rowie in the pub. Loved this, beautiful folk album.

Lovely voice

This is not my type of music but I loved her voice and it just worked for me

The Last of the True Believers was probably my introduction to Nanci Griffith, but I'm not sure if I've heard the entired album all at once. I have enjoyed Griffith's oddly happy take on sad stories since I first heard her music. I enjoy her storytelling, and the easily recognizable quality of her voice. I am surprised that I haven't listened to her in so long. I was happy to see The Last of the True Believers as my recommendation for the day. "Love at the Five and Dime" is an all time favorite from Griffith - finding joy in great storytelling and slight sadness. "Banks of the Pontchartrain", "Love's Found a Shoulder", and "Fly by Night" are new favorites. I hope I won't take so long to come back again.

I want to go back

Really love the storytelling in the lyrics and her voice is soothing and beautifully tells the stories of the songs.

More Than A Whisper just knocked me on my ass

Really solid album. Calls to mind some very specific memories and reminds me of when I learned that country music was good and worth listening to. A lot of the songs sounded the same, which was a bit of a bummer, but Love at the Five and Dime stands out as one of the few songs which belongs on both my happy and sad playlists. I had never heard of Nanci Griffith before, but now I'm glad that I have!