Robert Miller is truly a chameleon as highlighted on his newest album Miller Rocks. Blending a variety of influences from surf, prog, jazz, and world rock, Miller Rocks showcases some of the best work of the artist to date. Miller has been super busy working with a variety of band members and overseeing various projects he’s helped compose and produce since 2015 and the results have been overwhelmingly impressed with a Billboard #1 album, various festival and concert performances, and even opening for major acts like YES, whose influence is also undeniable in this album.
It’s the music of a bygone era but without being condescending to any generation in particular and Miller knows this, even highlighting that his music speaks to both Millennials and Boomers alike, and as one of those, I very much agree and I think its because Miller is focused most on giving a truly authentic sonic experience. The sounds on Miller Rocks are startlingly textural and if you can, I’d recommend a first listen with headphones as while my initial listen on my computer was incredibly enjoyable, being able to pick up on every subtlety and note Miller weaves into the music with his expert producing skills will warrant a wildly rewarding experience that will make you want to relive the albums biggest highlights, most of which are in the first half of the record, again and again. The back end of the record is far from bad, but it does slow things down a bit and the songs tend to be on the longer side.
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The songs are incredibly well-paced and even ones clocking in at nearly 5 minutes never feel overwrought, but the energy slows a bit until the albums closer. In terms of content and themes, it feels like Miller is looking back on the many things that have made him both happy and sad, but finding a way to twist them into a positive-sounding and empowering way, whether it’s forcing a loved one to decide if they’ll be in his life or not, expressing the gratitude of the friends around him, and even finding a way to make things like heartbreak and even telling people that he doesn’t want them in his life holding him back, but in a way that never comes across as mean spirited or needlessly dower. It almost gives the impression that there isn’t a whole lot this man can be cynical about and it shows in the music which every track just feels like a labor of love slaved over, what with the major genre shifts from jazz to even country-inspired sounds and even some rock elements that have a strong reverb in your bones from the first time you listen to it all the way through to the finale track.
The album has so much variety, but there is a track here and there that is a little redundant, not bad, but maybe could be saved for a future release, but as it is it’s a tight exciting album from one of the hardest working musicians today.
Troy Johnstone