Concert Review | "Three Girls and their Buddy": An inspired evening of song-sharing among friends

Concert Review |

The term "hootenanny" was put out to pasture long ago, but the four musicians who beguiled a meadow full of listeners at Woodland Park Zoo Wednesday night may want to revive it.

Billed as "Three Girls and their Buddy," singers Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and guy pal Buddy Miller strummed and sang to the appreciative family crowd for a nearly two-hour stretch. The show repeats Thursday night at the Zoo.

It was nothin' fancy — no drums or extra backup musicians, no flashy garb or hype. Just a low-key evening of folksy old blues and gospel tunes, along with some original ballads and choice covers of a few pop oldies.

And it was a delight, with all the charms of a good ol', between-friends song circle — led by some of our best troubadours, with fine odes to impart.

The relaxed set began a bit tentatively with a shaky version of Phil Spector's pop classic "To Know Him Is To Love Him," in the tightly harmonized version Harris recorded years ago with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton.

But from there, it was all gravy as the four sang solos, blended their voices on group numbers, and kept a roadie busy handing out guitars from the dozen or so arrayed on stage.

Harris, a beloved role model to her younger comrades, kicked off the round-robin tune swap. "Let's start with a very sad, dark and depressing ballad," she declared mordantly, leading into a plaintive rendition of her country-chart hit "Red Dirt Girl," sung in that matchless, ethereal voice.

Another Harris treat was the haunting, Robbie Robertson-penned "Evangeline." (Remember songs that tell stories? She's got a few.)

Griffin lent her own down-home approach to a robust treatment of the spiritual "If I Had My Way." Another solo highlight was her bluesy, wrenching "I'm Gonna Miss You When You're Gone."

The Fresh-voiced Colvin brought the most unlikely material. She tapped the magic in Donovan's "Catch the Wind" — a slow-mo version of raw beauty — and turned the recent Gnarls Barkley hit "Crazy" into an intimate, urgent query.

The big discovery of the evening, at least for this listener, was Miller. He was almost apologetic about being in such revered musical company (he advised people to "go get a beer" during his first solo). But in country-music circles, Miller is a highly regarded singer-songwriter-guitarist and record producer, and before this tour he'd worked with all three of his cohorts.

Miller got the joint jumping and the tots dancing with his rockabilly-flavored "Gasoline and Matches," and his tasty finger-pickin' guitarwork shone throughout. And that cover of the Left Banke/Four Tops hit, "Walk Away Renee"? A beaut.

"We shall all be reunited / In that land beyond the sky," sang the foursome near the end of a satisfying concert — or, if you will, hootenanny. Whatever you call it, it was a hoot.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com