There's a place deep in our souls where we go when we're weary, when we're lost, or when our tears just aren't enough to clean the grime off of our hearts. Julie Miller has been there, and weaves a path through that emotional terrain of broken hearts and spiritual needs with 12 songs that speak to that common place in all of us.
Defying categorization, these songs are at times country, folk, or blues. Produced by husband Buddy Miller, he also plays guitar throughout and it's not hard to see why he won the Nashville Music award this past year for best guitarist. Joining Buddy are Brady Blade on drums; Steve Hindalong on percussion; Phil Madeira on Hammond B3 organ, accordion, and harmonium; and John Andrew Schreiner on piano. Many of her friends came to sing such as Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, and Victoria Williams. Steve Earle even comes in and does a turn on mandolin on the great Julie and Buddy duet, "All My Tears." Miller's high, waifish voice is aptly suited to the slow, sad feel of such songs as "I Know Why The River Runs," a song about the heartache of losing a loved one. At the same time, bluesy numbers such as "I Need You" bring out the rougher edge in her voice evoking a quality that makes one realize that this is someone tougher than the "little girl" voice might imply. At times it is the story behind these songs that makes them so special. "Ride The Wind To Me" is a song of encouragement to one whose life has been one of heartbreak and disappointment.
In my heart I see you run free
Like a river down to the sea
All the chains that held you bound
will be in pieces on the ground
You'll drink the rain and ride the wind with me.
"I Still Cry" is a song that she wrote mourning the death of her friend Donald Lindley. "Broken Things" is a song she penned in 1993 after violence in Northern Ireland killed 29 people. It is a cry for restoration--the restoration of our hearts that only God can bring. Her arrangement of the traditional tune "Two Soldiers" was inspired by thoughts of the civil war battles that took place on the very ground where she now lives. Even the funky blues number "Strange Lover" where Steve Earle again lends his considerable vocal talents, has its own tale. Not too long ago, Earle himself was in jail serving time thanks to a drug habit that almost killed him and his career. Now clean and picking up the pieces of his life, it is an interesting testimony to hear his vocals along with Miller's as they sing:
The cows lay down when it's gonna rain
You come around and it's a hurricane
You say it's bad luck baby but I know it's cocaine.
Julie Miller has the ability to write songs that find their way down into our souls and speak to our deepest feelings. She has said that she has an uncanny ability to empathize with others - to feel what they feel. Through her songs, she imparts that ability to the listener, creating a longing, a spiritual craving that only God can fill. As she sings in "All My Tears:"
It don't matter where you bury me
I'll be home and I'll be free
It don't matter where I lay
All my tears be washed away.
With songs that evoke feelings of longing, sorrow, joy, and heartache, Julie Miller has created a musical project that far surpasses much of what passes for "pop" or "country" music these days. This is "soul" music in the truest sense of the word, becoming a part of the listener and inviting an emotional response. It's music that will not soon be forgotten.
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