Patty Griffin is somewhat unfairly unrecognised as one of country music's greatest songwriters, but with Impossible Dream there's always the hope that she'll finally get what she deserves. The Dixie Chicks have become hugely successful singing some of her songs, but while she may not be as photogenic, Griffin certainly has a much prettier voice than the Texan Trio.

Impossible Dream is her fourth album and finds her continuing the excellent form of her last offering, 1000 Kisses. Love Throws A Line is a slightly misleading opener, plucking along nicely in a rather vapid way, but things soon pick up.

Kite Song is the first sign for the uninitiated that this is a special album, with Griffin accompanying herself on piano and haunting backing vocals coming from no less than Emmylou Harris (who also crops up on three bonus live tracks) and Julie Miller.

Standing has a low-key gospel sound with Griffin's voice getting stronger and stronger as it slowly builds up in volume. Useless Desires is slightly by-the-numbers, but the yearning in her vocals and the gentle strumming of her guitar lifts it way beyond the mundane.

Top Of The World appeared on the last Dixie Chicks album and was even the name of their 2003 European tour, and it appears here stripped right down to having just a bass guitar and violin accompanying here. The lyrics are amongst the best she's ever written: "I wish I'd have shown you all of the things I was on the inside, but I'd pretend to be sleeping when you'd come in in the moring to whisper good-bye. Go to work in the rain, now I don't know why."

Even though it's hardly a new song, it is still probably the highlight of this album, as it was when the Chicks performed it at the Apollo. It'll certainly be one to listen out for when Griffin plays the Academy 3 later this month.

Mother Of God stands out amongst the rest of the album though, with a seven minute running-time and a real shift in pace halfway through the song. It's epic and beautiful and moving, which is just what we've come to expect from Patty Griffin, who is way more than just the writer of the best Dixie Chicks songs.

COMPETITION: We have a copy of Patty Griffin's new album Impossible Dream to give away to one lucky winner. To enter, e-mail james@root101.com with the answer to the following question. Which Dixie Chicks album featured her song Top Of The World?

Please give an address for the CD to be posted to when entering the competition. Closing date is Saturday 11th June. Good luck!