Buddy Miller, more than anyone, is the guy who broke my phobia of country music.
I first noticed him when he stepped in to play guitars for Emmylou Harris, whose Wrecking Ball was more a Daniel Lanois album than a traditional Harris release, more a rootsy rock album than a country album. Lanois's atmospheric, visceral guitar styles were not only echoed in Buddy's live interpretations of the songs, but surpassed, as Miller delivered the special effects with restraint and grounded the solos in skilled, traditional folk and country stylings. Harris's vocals were certainly the centerpiece of that tour and the following release Red Dirt Girl, but Buddy's guitars nearly stole the show.
Then came the album Buddy and Julie Miller, which remains one of my most frequently played albums a year and a half later. The same intensity, honesty, and integrity of the Harris performances blazes on this record, and Buddy's own vocals are allowed to shine, perfectly balanced with the shrill thrill of his wife Julie's harmonies. And most interesting of all, the gospel themes resonant in Harris's songwriting were even more clear in the Millers' work. I can't think of any artists who let their faith shine in their work so unapologetically, artfully, and beautifully. There's no preaching going on here. The praises and the prayers are just bursting from their hearts, without any agenda or manipulation of the listener.
By avoiding the artificial glitz and the "image"-oriented aspects of contemporary country music, by focusing on solid lyrics in traditional forms, Miller has taught me that the "country" stuff I hear on the radio is not really country at all. That stuff is to country music what McDonald's is to dining. Miller is the home-cooked meal.
His new album Midnight and Lonesome serves up another feast, just as last year's Cruel Moon did. He's been releasing solo albums for years, but the experience of touring with Harris and broadening his abilities with Lanois-inspired flourishes have made him a far more arresting presence. Both of these recent albums sound fantastic. They're pristinely recorded, and yet they sound spontaneous and soulful. Midnight and Lonesome focuses more on Miller's voice and lyrics, less on his musicianship, but that doesn't mean we're robbed. On this album, he covers traditional country, rockabilly, and interesting hybrids of folk, blues, and rock.
One of the highlights comes in a collaboration between Buddy Miller and Bill Mallonee of Vigilantes of Love. This is what I like to call a Networking Alert! Somehow it seems that all the genuine talents, in any genre of music, end up as a close-knit community of collaborators. You can almost guess who will end up working with who. Thus, Miller working with Mallonee is no real surprise. I can almost sense a Millers/T-Bone Burnett collaboration around the corner.
But where would Buddy be without Julie? Her lyrics give him his best songs, standing out even from the solid selection of covers on the album. The folky waltz "Quecreek," was added at the last minute as an immediate and emotional response to the recent crisis when nine miners were rescued from a collapsed mine. It's the highlight of the record. It's the perfect example of the way the Millers can cut through sentimentality and seize the emotional truth of a situation. I'm more moved by the way the song tells the story than I was by the news account. It's so much more TRUE.
And truth is the real issue. Miller doesn't waste time with frivolous declarations of love or merely indulgent accounts of heartbreak. He takes responsibility. His sad songs acknowledge the singer's part in the crises. His lyrics are always laced with the trouble that comes with temptation and the joys that come with faithfulness. He's got a clear vision of the way love works, and hints at what that tells us about our relationship with God.
Flying just beneath the radar of popular music, Buddy is the real thing. Discovering him is like discovering the recordings of some neglected master from the golden age of country, except that he's writing this stuff every day, right now.
Similar sounding releases
2001Ryan AdamsGold
2004Jonathan RundmanPublic Library
2001Robert Earl KeenGravitational Forces
1998Chris IsaakSpeak of the Devil
2002Peter CaseBeeline
2001Richard GilpinBeautiful Mistake
