Saturday, February 21, 2009

Kevin Miller - Light A Candle

Hear The Track Here

Although it may seem that I love just about all good music, there are certain styles and genres that draw me more than most and one of those - surprisingly enough - is good ol' country music. Not the manufactured, rhinestone and bouffants that infest and pollute Nashvile but REAL country, or Americana depending on which way you look at it. Ever since I was exposed to Flatt and Scruggs/Foggy Mountain Boys early in my childhood I have been fascinated by pickers, pluckers and gob iron wielders of all descriptions. Certainly it led to a lifelong fascination with bluegrass because I know such music is soooooo beyond me I can only dream. The reason I'm gobbing off like this is because Kevin Miller (a new name to me) claims to have the same love and respect for such music.

Well yeeeeaaahhh then and lets go!

'In times like these, we all need to stick together. Do something good for someone today' Kevin says in the song comments and I guess this is his way of making something good happen for you and me. I've already stated my bias here so I guess it will come as no surprise when I say that I really like this track, even though its fresh faced enthusiam is a bit hard to take. There again, I am English and we are well known miserable pessimists about most everything so this is no biggie. Light A Candle is billed as Acoustic: Folk and I'd say that was an accurate description although it is helped by some excellent banjo playing that - as always - lightens the mood even further.

More to the point, Light A Candle sounds great; crystal clear production help everything to shine and - lets face it - home production doesn't always do what it says on the tin. One of the harder mixing disciplines to get right is recording acoustic instruments and Kevin has done a wonderful job and obviously is a guy who knows what he is doing. So why, o why is there only one track on his page? As soon as I started to listen to Light A Candle I wanted to hear more, more more! Alas, the cupboard was bare :( Still, I've still got one of the most cheerful, upbeat songs I have heard this year on my playlist, and that's no bad thing - even for a grumpy old Englishman.

Highly Recommended Acoustic. A tonic for these troubled times, I'm off to light a candle.

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