Poet In My Window (Rounder, 2002)

Released four years later after her debut, Nanci Griffith's "Poet In My Window" is a much more accomplished piece with a more heavily produced sound than "Ther'es a Light Beyond These Woods." All but 1 of the original 11 tunes are Griffith-written. There are still only a few elements that would cause country fans to take notice, but it was a certain signpost that she was indeed an emerging artist.

Her phrasing and her connection to the material increased at least two-fold over her debut. For collectors it will be a huge temptation to buy this version of "Poet" just for a wonderful, previously unreleased "Can't Love Wrong," which now opens the disc. The song has been written and recorded in the early '80s, but seemingly lost when the tape was oxidized. Now it has been restored and some additional backing provided to flesh out the sound. The song sounds quite comfortable and at home on this disc.