Scott Miller & The Commonwealth – Citation
Jumping back and forth, seemingly effortlessly, between country-tinged acoustic balladry and a specifically southern brand of college roots-rock, Scott Miller’s first two CDs had standout themes: the impact of where you’re from on the first one, growing up and dealing with responsibility on the second.
This new one deals with, among other things, noticing time starting to go by. The anthemic opener “Freedom Is A Stranger” has a young couple taking off in a car — a Chevy Citation with an 8-track tape player — early Springsteen style. But that was then, paying the mortgage is now.
The roots-rock tracks here are particularly crisp, whether new Miller compositions such as the riff-driven, mule-kicking “8 Miles A Gallon” or a nice cover of Neil Young’s “Hawks And Doves”. Production by Memphis ace Jim Dickinson no doubt played a role in the clean-edged sound. Former V-Roys bandmate Mic Harrison shows up for a duet on the story-song “The Only Road”.
There’s a sense with this disc, however, that despite its real moments, Miller is taking us on a ride we’ve had with him before, and maybe on tires with more traction. There’s the rocker, the ballad, the songs about American history, all to form — and the percentage of them that stick in the head is a bit lower than previously. Fans will no doubt want to hear this, in any case, for its strengths even within the formula.