Say Amen! Somebody, October 15, 2004

Look, the Universal United House of Prayer is the best album from Buddy yet, just like Poison Love, Midnight and Lonesome, Cruel Moon and Your Love and Other Lies are his best. He simply does not make anything but great music. On this latest, Wide River to Cross and Fire and Water will make you understand life and why we keep going on. And his covers, the Louvins, Dylan, and Heard complement his music perfectly, helping to showcase both his songwriting/singing abilities, and the strength of the tradition to which he belongs. People need to stand up and take notice, there are folks that are willing to maybe not pick up and wear, but certainly to help carry, the mantle of Johnny Cash. Country singers that love freedom, justice, and the truth enough to warn us when we are not doing right, and when we are not just. Don't Wait lays this out. It is a gospel number, but the title does not only apply to spiritual salvation, it warns us that we should live our lives better as individuals and...

Although I've been kneeling at the altar of alt.country for some time now, I'm afraid I had up til now been almost completely ignorant of Miller's work. Then I heard "Shelter Me" on a sampler CD, and immediately decided I had to buy UUHoP. What a find! I haven't heard as heartfelt and rousing a gospel record since the Blind Boys of Alabama's Spirit of the Century. As fans have no doubt already learned, Miller's covers are just as tasty as his originals, and this disk includes, among other treats, as scorching a version of "With God on Our Side" as I've ever heard. Caveat emptor: if you intend to listen to this music on an iPod, as I do, be careful when you're in a crowd, as people tend to look askance when you howl "Amen!" to the chorus of "There's a Higher Power."

Buddy Miller's first recording for the New West label is broader in scope than his previous recordings. In addition to his country roots, we get flavors of soul, blues, & certainly rock. This set also features Miller's emergence as an excellent singer and guitarist. The classic opener "Worry Too Much" was penned by the late Mark Heard. "It's the way we tell ourselves that all these things are normal till we can't remember what we mean, It's the flicker of our flames, it's the friction born of living," Buddy rocks out. Fiddles & drums pound out the Louvin Brothers' country gospel "There's A Higher Power." Another high point among consistently strong tracks is Buddy & wife Julie's "Shelter Me" with strong backing vocals by Regina & Ann McCrary that lift Buddy up to new heights. Miller's 9-minute version of the Bob Dylan classic "With God on Our Side" is first and foremost Miller's triumph as a vocalist as he sells each lyric with a passion that is aflame. The rest of the CD is...