Dave Miller: Dave Miller
Tompkins Square

Having your release accompanied by a blurb from Mary Halvorson is certainly one way to get noticed, the NYC-based guitarist commenting that Miller's latest “provides the joy and the lift we all need right now—through his bad-ass guitar playing, a myriad of unexpected shifts reveals a brilliant sonic universe.” One would be mistaken, however, for expecting that his self-titled album sounds anything like her material, not only with respect to playing style but genre too. If anything, Miller's Tompkins Square release sounds more like an instrumental songs set someone like Chris Spedding might have issued in the ‘70s, the material's analog sound redolent of earlier times.

Refreshingly unpretentious and compact at forty minutes, the album's eight tracks exude a breezy, relaxed vibe, with the leader supported by Dan Pierson on keyboards, drummer Devin Drobka, percussionist Juan Pastor, and Matt Ulery on fender bass (a credit even given to Mikel Patrick Avery for tambourine). They share jazz credentials, but Miller's is most assuredly not a jazz album. Like Ulery, he's been a prominent figure in the Chicago scene for years; stints with Greg Ward's Rogue Parade and Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls supplement his own releases, among them Old Door Phantoms, issued on ears&eyes Records in 2016.

The good times begin immediately when Miller's fuzz-toned axe introduces “Hand Dipped” and a rollicking groove follows. A little bit funky, the tune sounds like something The Allman Brothers might have cooked up during a pre-concert jam, with congas and a stoked rhythm section a solid ground for Miller's multi-layered grunge. In terms of his playing style, it's more Neil Young than Al Dimeola, which suits the material just fine. That said, he still manages to work into the album no small amount of virtuosity and chops without compromising on its raw spirit. Even better, the performances come off like authentic live takes with all involved clustered together in a shared recording space.

Sweetly singing-ballads are served up as often as rockers, Miller's songs often hewing to classic verse-chorus structures despite being instrumentals. Tremolo lovers should head directly to the organ-drenched, blues-gospel-inflected “Your New Truth,” and for sure no one will lament a singer's absence when “Rollerblade or Die” and “BW” get their fiery grooves on. Throughout this endearing release, vocal melodies are well-compensated for when Miller packs the tunes with punchy hooks, and in packing a plenitude of guitar into the material he shows himself to be an ultra-versatile player.

June 2020