Trent Miller

Lovely to hear an album so full of melody and tunefulness but that doesn’t lend itself easily to pigeonholing.

Trent Miller has a been around for a while but I would say that this is his best release yet.
There is real quality to his writing and the playing here is superb – Paul Cuddeford’s guitar and Barbara Bartz/Bethany Porter’s strings especially – while Miller has a real emotional timbre to his voice.

He has, I believe, been through the emotional wringer in the last few years and much of that is reflected here, reflective lyrics and dark tones to some of the songs show his state, but the result isn’t a cry from the heart or a pleading wallowing in self pity. Instead you get proper consideration on past events and his condition.

There is less of his folk roots in this album and a greater leaning towards modern stylings. At times he seems to harken back to the Byrds in his guitar lines and Nick Drake in the string accompaniment but the music is pretty well timeless and his use of light and shade keeps the sound fresh and the ear constantly engaged.

A dozen little gems, all quite individual and all showing different facets of the man, it really is a delightful album.