An impressive and immersive collection of sixteen songs recorded in Tulsa’s illustrious Church Studios.
John R. Miller returns with his fifth studio album, The Great Unknowing, once again showcasing his songwriting and vocal skills. His previous outing, Heat Comes Down, was met with much critical acclaim, none more so within AUK Towers. No one would have been surprised had Miller continued along with the same formula and followed the same route. This is not the case. Reaching a fork in that well-travelled highway, Miller took these new songs out onto the road and tested them first. The result is 15 tracks covering a variety of subjects, plus one surprising cover. A collection that doesn’t feel rooted in any particular genre, moving seamlessly through country, blues and a sprinkling of rock & roll. Sometimes serious, often lyrically engaging, clever and occasionally funny. There is a line in the track Day Drinking which says “I found the dog and plucked a hair”, just splendid, and at the same time heart-rending.
Recorded at Leon Russell’s legendary Church Studios in Tulsa, the record features Miller and a band of players from the area, including Paddy Ryan on drums, Aaron Boehler on bass, exquisite pedal steel by Muskrat Johns and fellow singer/songwriter John Fullbright adding piano and synth. Chloe Edmonstone joins on fiddle, which gives the collection some of its most musically stunning moments. Miller found inspiration within the studio, claiming “immediately the gears started turning,” and going on to explain that the father of the fabled Tulsa Sound, J.J. Cale, was one of his all-time favourite artists, which all added to the overall good vibes he got recording in the hallowed studio.
There are elements of Tom Petty in the song Golden Light, a mid-tempo rocker with an aching background pedal steel, but also, when reaching the mid-point of the album, we take to the floor for a country waltz with Daughter Of Night, complete with excellent fiddle.
Miller and the band found a groove with the excellent and standout Steering Wheel Drums. There is only one place to crank this one up, and that is on the road. Watch your speed as you join in with that percussion as Miller showcases his sharp, instinctive writing here with the line “Nervous wrecks all sound the same / Like steering wheel drums / Like steering wheel drums down the red highway”.
The first single from the record, Tollbooth, is arguably more like Miller’s previous output. Wonderful guitar and pedal steel over lyrics lamenting the decaying landscape, which is more noticeable as a traveller than to a person who lives in a place permanently.
Miller, as on his previous outings does alternative country extremely well and even veers towards traditional at times. If You Could Only See Me Now could easily be an old George Jones cut, as it is in that classic style. Double Lives includes an impressive musical bridge featuring guitar, pedal steel, and harmony vocals, oozing class, whereas Looking For A Place To Die throws off the training wheels and goes all-out country rocker with a sprinkling of honky tonk.
The cover version of the Dire Straits song “Walk of Life” is interesting, slowing it down to a crawl; however, it is the fifteen cuts preceding it that hold your attention. Overall, this is an impressive album. Miller has once again produced an impeccable collection of music, but what makes this one stand out is the variety of styles and a full-band sound that rewards repeated play. Miller’s drawling vocal delivery, fine writing and talented musicians mean this recording will be in the mix come those end-of-year reviews.
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