By Paul T. Mueller
“First Couple of Americana Music” may be a fictitious title, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some real contenders out there. Two such duos, Buddy and Julie Miller and Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, stake convincing claims on recently released albums – Breakdown on 20th Ave. South and Beautiful Lie, respectively.
Of the two, the Millers’ Breakdown – their first joint effort in 10 years – is the more personal. All 11 songs were written by Julie Miller (her nephew Alasdair MacKenzie gets a co-writer credit on one). The lyrics reflect Miller’s poetic leanings as she explores love in its various forms. Some are cryptic – “Feast of the Dead” begins with “Send the drummers down every street/The hurdy gurdy drones loud and sweet.” Others are brutally direct and confessional. “I run my fingers up and down the edge/Of my time out on the ledge,” Julie sings on the title track. After “Thoughts at 2 AM,” a heartfelt declaration of religious faith, the album closes with “Storm of Kisses,” a tribute to Julie Miller’s brother; the title is one MacKenzie came up with, at age 4, for a song he had yet to write.
The words on Breakdown may be Julie’s, but Buddy Miller helps bring them to life with fine vocals and guitar work throughout; songs such as “Till the Stardust Comes Apart” and “Spittin’ on Fire” come closer to the country sound he’s known for. The Millers did most of the playing themselves; other contributors include drummers Marco Giovino, Brady Blade and Steve Hindalong and bassist Rick Plant.
Robison and Willis are both fine writers, but, as with their previous collaborations, much of Beautiful Lie consists of songs written by others. But the two always manage to put their own stamp on whatever they record; they’re aided this time by Robison’s skillful production. The focus here is romance (“If I Had a Rose”), and, more often, the end of romance (“Nobody’s Perfect,” “One Dime at a Time,” “Lost My Best” and the title track, among others). All are performed with a distinctive sound that walks the line between traditional country and Americana.
A couple of outliers deal with other subjects. “Astrodome,” by Robison and Jack Ingram, finds the narrator sitting in a derelict landmark, wondering where the years went. “Can’t Tell Nobody Nothin’ ” is a funny take on the futility of good advice, written by Adam Wright and Shannon Wright. The album’s excellent supporting cast includes guitarist Scott Davis, bassist John Michael Schoepf, drummer Joshua Blue, keyboardist Trevor Nealon, and the indispensable Geoff Queen on electric guitar and pedal steel.
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