1. The Kingdom Has Come/Journey of The Magi
2. Yes, Virginia
3. Christmas In Prison
4. Joyful, Joyful
5. Old Toy Trains
6. Star Of Bethlehem
7. Holy, Holy, Holy
ARTIST SITE
PURCHASE THE CD HERE
PURCHASE THE MP3 HERE
This really is one of my favorite new releases of the year, quite possibly my MOST favorite. I get excited every time I'm about to listen to it. As often as I've listened to it already, it hasn't worn thin in the least. In fact, it gets richer with each listen. It's the kind of a Christmas record I was hoping Bob Dylan would make--pure Americana, intimate and powerful, perfectly balancing all the moods of Christmas while maintaining both the season's core message and the quiet joy of the working man's holiday, without any artificial sweeteners whatsoever. If you enjoy the music of Steve Earle, John Prine, Hayes Carll and, yes, even classic Bob Dylan, you're going to love this one.
Scott Miller is not a household name, but nor is this his first rodeo. Miller was born in Virginia in 1968, grew up on a farm, and moved to Tennessee in 1990, hoping to find his way in the music business. Miller and his band, the V-Roys, were the first act signed to Steve Earle's now defunct label, E-Squared. The V-Roys managed three albums of their own, stripped down country-rock for the most part. Critically acclaimed yet unable to achieve any commercial success, the band split up on New Year's Eve, 1999. Miller's next band, The Commonwealth, snagged a gig as the house band for Blue Collar TV. Miller recalls that the money was good, but he was happier upon leaving it behind. After kicking around the music business for 15 years, Miller has been weathered and aged to a fine vintage and he's making the music he wants to make. Like this Christmas record--not some cheesy overproduced example of the excesses our modern society has wrought, not some cynical attempt at market exploitation, but a simple, honest, and heartfelt expression of the holiday and its meaning.
I fell in love with "Christmas Gift" as soon as I heard about ten seconds of the opening track, "The Kingdom Has Come/Journey of The Magi". Hearing the full work was a true spiritual experience. Miller took a song he had written previously and combined it with TS Eliot's poem "Journey of The Magi". Together, they create a powerful masterpiece, both moving and thought provoking. "Yes Virginia", the other Miller original here, rocks out with joy. For cover selections, Miller chose John Prine's immortal "Christmas In Prison", Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains", and Neil Young's "Star of Bethlehem". Miller performs the first two as well as anyone other than their creators ever has, while the third is perfect Americana--a song about seeing the light ahead when your hopes and dreams lay crumbled about you. Two instrumental carols round out the EP, but nothing here is wasted. "Joyful Joyful" is delightfully given the Dueling Banjos treatment. And on "Holy, Holy, Holy" the harmonica is the featured player, soft and soulful, as you could easily imagine some struggling farmer or rancher playing a few bars of his favorite hymn before turning in on Christmas Eve.
Scott Miller grew up on a farm ("in the middle of nowhere", as he puts it) and you can easily see that ethic at work on "Christmas Gift". There is not a note or song too much, nor too little. The emotion is honest and genuine--there are no uptown pretenses. Where there is joy, you feel the joy; where there is struggle, you feel the struggle; where there is hope, you feel the hope; and where there is peace, you feel at peace. For my money, Miller has created a real gem--something I'll be returning to, again and again, for years to come.
2. Yes, Virginia
3. Christmas In Prison
4. Joyful, Joyful
5. Old Toy Trains
6. Star Of Bethlehem
7. Holy, Holy, Holy
ARTIST SITE
PURCHASE THE CD HERE
PURCHASE THE MP3 HERE
This really is one of my favorite new releases of the year, quite possibly my MOST favorite. I get excited every time I'm about to listen to it. As often as I've listened to it already, it hasn't worn thin in the least. In fact, it gets richer with each listen. It's the kind of a Christmas record I was hoping Bob Dylan would make--pure Americana, intimate and powerful, perfectly balancing all the moods of Christmas while maintaining both the season's core message and the quiet joy of the working man's holiday, without any artificial sweeteners whatsoever. If you enjoy the music of Steve Earle, John Prine, Hayes Carll and, yes, even classic Bob Dylan, you're going to love this one.
Scott Miller is not a household name, but nor is this his first rodeo. Miller was born in Virginia in 1968, grew up on a farm, and moved to Tennessee in 1990, hoping to find his way in the music business. Miller and his band, the V-Roys, were the first act signed to Steve Earle's now defunct label, E-Squared. The V-Roys managed three albums of their own, stripped down country-rock for the most part. Critically acclaimed yet unable to achieve any commercial success, the band split up on New Year's Eve, 1999. Miller's next band, The Commonwealth, snagged a gig as the house band for Blue Collar TV. Miller recalls that the money was good, but he was happier upon leaving it behind. After kicking around the music business for 15 years, Miller has been weathered and aged to a fine vintage and he's making the music he wants to make. Like this Christmas record--not some cheesy overproduced example of the excesses our modern society has wrought, not some cynical attempt at market exploitation, but a simple, honest, and heartfelt expression of the holiday and its meaning.
I fell in love with "Christmas Gift" as soon as I heard about ten seconds of the opening track, "The Kingdom Has Come/Journey of The Magi". Hearing the full work was a true spiritual experience. Miller took a song he had written previously and combined it with TS Eliot's poem "Journey of The Magi". Together, they create a powerful masterpiece, both moving and thought provoking. "Yes Virginia", the other Miller original here, rocks out with joy. For cover selections, Miller chose John Prine's immortal "Christmas In Prison", Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains", and Neil Young's "Star of Bethlehem". Miller performs the first two as well as anyone other than their creators ever has, while the third is perfect Americana--a song about seeing the light ahead when your hopes and dreams lay crumbled about you. Two instrumental carols round out the EP, but nothing here is wasted. "Joyful Joyful" is delightfully given the Dueling Banjos treatment. And on "Holy, Holy, Holy" the harmonica is the featured player, soft and soulful, as you could easily imagine some struggling farmer or rancher playing a few bars of his favorite hymn before turning in on Christmas Eve.
Scott Miller grew up on a farm ("in the middle of nowhere", as he puts it) and you can easily see that ethic at work on "Christmas Gift". There is not a note or song too much, nor too little. The emotion is honest and genuine--there are no uptown pretenses. Where there is joy, you feel the joy; where there is struggle, you feel the struggle; where there is hope, you feel the hope; and where there is peace, you feel at peace. For my money, Miller has created a real gem--something I'll be returning to, again and again, for years to come.