Julie Miller Blue Pony CD

Personnel: Julie Miller (vocals, guitar); Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Karen Peris (vocals); Buddy Miller (vocals, guitar, mandoguitar, melodica, bass); Tammy Rogers (fiddle, mandolin); Larry Campbell (fiddle, banjo, bouzouki); Matt Slocum (cello); Bill Mallonee (harmonica); John Andrew Schreiner (piano); Phil Madiera (Hammond B-3 organ, pump organ); Allison Prestwood, Byron House (bass); Donald Lindley (drums); Paul Griffith (drums, percussion); Steve Hindalong (percussion).
Engineers: Buddy Miller, Duane Jarvis, Don Peris.
Personnel: Julie Miller (guitar); Buddy Miller (vocals, guitar, melodica); Emmylou Harris, Karen Peris, Steve Earle (vocals); Larry Campbell (banjo, bouzouki, fiddle); Tammy Rogers (mandolin, fiddle); Matt Slocum (cello); Bill Mallonee (harmonica); John Schreiner (piano); Phil Madeira (organ); Paul Griffith (drums, percussion); Donald Lindley, Alison Prestwood (drums); Steve Hindalong (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Buddy Miller.
Liner Note Author: Julie Miller.
Recording information: Dogtown Studios.
Photographer: Bob Miller .
Unknown Contributor Role: Buddy Miller.
Her first album since leaving the Contemporary Christian Music fold, Julie Miller's Blue Pony is a wonderful slice of contemporary country that draws heavily on both folk and rock music. While Miller is an accomplished songwriter and singer, her husband Buddy Miller plays a central role on the album, playing guitar, singing, and producing. Stylistically, the songs vary between rock tunes like "Kiss on the Lips" to the traditional country sounds of "Take Me Back" and "Face of Appalachia." There's also "Forever My Beloved," a duet with Emmylou Harris, which sounds like a traditional Anglo-Irish folk tune. Lyrically, Miller presents a rather bleak world in her songs, which are often populated with people who have seen the hurtful side of life: mothers who have given their children up for adoption ("Letters to Emily"), the mentally ill ("All the Pieces of Mary"), and abused children ("Dancing Girl"). There are also those who are simply troubled by love. But Miller possesses both empathy and love for all these characters, offering them hope through their despair. In "I Call on You" she offers God as a way to overcome the anguish of life: "When trouble has swallowed my soul I call on You." But ultimately, she is more concerned with the happiness of others; closing the album is "Last Song," in which she hopes for a rich life for the listener. Miller is an exceptionally gifted songwriter, and Blue Pony contains ample evidence of her talents. And while other singers like Harris have offered interpretations of Miller's songs, she herself is able to provide the unique insights that only a song's author can bring. Coupled with great playing courtesy of Buddy Miller and a cast of talented collaborators, Blue Pony is a top-notch album. ~ Martin Monkman
BLUE PONY, Miller's debut record on Hightone (her previous effort was on a small, Christian-oriented label) places her as a kind of quirky alternative-Americana artist. Think of a rootsy Victoria Williams, whose voice Miller often brings to mind. As if to purposely move past the "country" label, BLUE PONY starts off strong with a rocker, "A Kiss On the Lips," with its understated energy and Hammond B-3 backing. The next song "Take Me Back," is a high lonesome duet with Julie's husband and co-producer, Hightone recording artist Buddy Miller. It recalls the kind of Appalachian folk songs that lie at the roots of commercial country music.

While BLUE PONY does feature guest appearances by some big names (both Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle contribute their talents), the real star here is Miller's voice, a slightly helium-laced affair that you'll either find completely irresistible or somewhat annoying. What makes her singing remarkable, though, is her ability to suggest girlish innocence while singing about a deep kind of evil.Entertainment Weekly (4/25/97, p.72) - "...arrives on her alt-folk-rock debut armed with dark, poetic lyrics about betrayal, redemption, and the damage caused by long-held secrets....One of the year's most haunting surprises."
- Rating: A