Wednesday, October 01, 2003

By John Hayes, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Line up four prominent female singer-songwriters, strip away the structured band environment, sit them in front of an audience and you get, well, a pajama party.

Patty Griffin was the serious one. Big sister Mary Chapin Carpenter let little sister Dar Williams join in the fun, and Shawn Colvin was the cool friend who got everyone into trouble.

Touring without a band at Monday's unconventional Benedum Center show, each of the artists performed in a song-circle style with the others adding unrehearsed, impromptu harmonies and occasional guitar layering. The lack of organized accompaniment shed light on the singers and gave fans a rare extended look at their personalities.

Carpenter set up the tour in advance of her next album, due next year. She began with a gentle, distinctively feminine take on the Johnny Cash classic "I Still Miss Someone," with Griffin, Williams and Colvin adding soft harmonies. Williams was up next, announcing that her newlywed husband likes her song "It Happens Everyday" and, drawing laughs from her cohorts, that it doesn't matter what he likes. But she played it anyway.

The focus moved down the line of singers and back around several times. Colvin offered a haunting "You and the Mona Lisa" and "Shotgun Down the Avalanche" with Carpenter chipping in on guitar. Everyone sang on Griffin's "Long Ride Home."

"I'm just a harmony slut," joked Carpenter. "There's nothing like singing along."

The banter, like the songs, traveled back and forth with the women sharing their lusty Bill Murray fantasies, anxiety about the tour schedule and who's had the most humiliating gig.

Witty exchanges led to stories about the songs. "Mortal City," Williams said, was inspired by her search for a moral compass and "The Babysitter's Here" is about an actual sitter hired by her parents. Griffin said "Top of the World," which became a Dixie Chicks hit, was inspired by a real-life tragedy.

Griffin and Carpenter showcased new songs from upcoming albums. Occasional flubbed chords and quickly adjusted harmonies that would have soured a more conventional concert added to the show's casual appeal. The song-circle ended with two rehearsed tunes: a surprisingly effective cover of The Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" and Griffin's family biography "Mary."

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