Patty Griffin coming to Englert in Iowa City

In March 2019 — a year before the pandemic arrived and altered everyone's lives — Patty Griffin released an album inspired by how her life was altered by cancer, not COVID.

Griffin's 10th album, an eponymous project, is an earnest record full of melancholy material made as a response to dealing with breast cancer. Her latest batch of tunes is poignant and passionate.

"The experiences have been significant," Griffin said by phone from her Austin home. "It had to have some impact on my songwriting. I had a friend who was going through a battle with cancer at the same time as me. He comforted me when he had a much more serious form of cancer in many places in his body."

Griffin's friend didn't survive, but the veteran singer/songwriter is still making music a quarter century after her debut album, "Living with Ghosts," dropped.

The elegant, soft-spoken Griffin beat cancer. However, during her fight for life, she temporarily lost her voice

"That was the hardest part for me," she said. "That was a long process. It was incredibly difficult but fortunately my voice did come back."

Austin, a quirky city full of offbeat recording artists, has given Griffin comfort as she emerged from her biggest battle.

"There's no place I would rather be than in Austin," Griffin said. "It' a magical place."

Craig Ross, who produced Griffin's latest project and is a longtime pal, also helped her get through the most challenging period of her life.

"I'm so fortunate I met him," Griffin said. "I met Craig in New Orleans in 1995. We stayed friends the whole time. I wanted him to produce this record. He told me that when I'm ready to sing, he'll be there.

“When I wasn't all that confident with what I was doing, he nudged me to do the work. He took an entire year of his life to make this album,” she noted. “I couldn't be luckier to work with Craig and to still be here making music. Life could be very different now. I'm glad I'm still doing what I enjoy doing most."

It seems a little odd that 10 albums into her acclaimed solo career Patty Griffin has opted to release her first eponymous album.

"The reason I went with a self-titled album was because someone took my title," Griffin said.

When asked who possesses her album title, Griffin laughed. "I'm not going to tell you," Griffin said. "I don't want you to go there."

Griffin, 57, has plenty of material to draw from when she plays Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City.

"I'm fortunate that I have so many songs," she said. "It's been a great career and I'm so fortunate that it's continuing."

The Grammy Award-winner is one of the most respected singer/songwriters in the business. Griffin has written songs that have been covered by Emmylou Harris, The Chicks and Kelly Clarkson.

"Anytime anyone records your songs, that's an amazing thing," Griffin said. "Some incredible recording artists have recorded my songs and there is nothing cooler."

A chuckle emanates from Griffin, who is clearly thrilled to be healthy.

"I couldn't be luckier," she said. "Life is good when you're able to do what you love, and to do it with friends."