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"Cruel Moon"
Like a finely tuned engine, Buddy Miller's
third HighTone album has no superfluous parts, no fuel that isn't
transformed in the hottest combustion.Drawing a straight line
between blues, country, and rock & roll, Miller gets a thick,
gigantic sound out of just guitar, bass, and drums; when he expands
his tight arrangements, he relies judiciously on Al Perkins's
steel guitar, Tammy Rogers's fiddle, and harmony from wife Julie
Miller, Steve Earle, and Emmylou Harris. Every big backbeat,
every twangy note illuminates these stinging country songs of
haunted hearts, memories that won't die, and love so strong it
can kill you. If you're new to Buddy Miller, think of a country
Richard Thompson: an eccentric but classic-sounding guitarist;
a feverish, instinctive singer; a roots-music seeker; and one
of the most driven and versatile artists working in 1999. --Roy
Kasten |
