Buddy & Julie Miller

You'd think that a guy whom No Depression appropriately named Artist of the Decade wouldn't warrant mention here, but Buddy Miller and his superbly talented life/musical soulmate Julie Griffin Miller are still hardly household names outside of a relatively small circle of fervent admirers. They deserve more attention, particularly since I think they've just produced a masterpiece with Written in Chalk. It's certainly in the early running for my favorite album of the year.

This is music appropriate for a long drive through open country on a midsummer evening, as day fades gradually into night. It's a mature work, in the best sense of the word. The instrumentation and arrangements are appropriately spare and understated. Two lifetimes of passion and pain fuel these aching harmonies. There is a raw immediacy to these performances, most recorded in their home studio, that cuts like a knife. June, written and recorded on the evening of June Carter Cash's death in 2003, will leave you breathless.

http://www.NewWestRecords.com

http://www.BuddyAndJulie.com