Crazy Horse
Denise Miller & Son
Independent
2000
9 tracks
Crazy Horse is a quirky, even quixotic, blend of this and that which almost works in spite of itself. This release is uneven, not so much because of the quality of writing, performance, or production as it is because of its crazy-quilt of instrumentation, genre, and vocal arrangement. Artists' self produced works are among the most interesting and surprising releases I receive. Crazy Horse is one of those.
Recorded in New Jersey, these songs are deeply rooted in the American west of Arizona and the Dakotas. Without exception, the lyrics resonate with a longing to return to the life of a simpler and earlier time. These are stories of loss and reminiscence sung with a plaintive edge more hillbilly (by which I mean like Dolly or Emmylou perhaps) than anything else yet ranging widely across genre boundaries.
"Crazy Horse" celebrates the great Lakota leader Crazy horse with a perspective perhaps more romantic than historic. The song appears to be using Crazy Horse as a metaphor for something. However, being covered by the instrumental backing, much of the lyric is hard to follow. The rhythm starts out sounding very native American but is quickly complicated by something electronic more like the backbeat in "Shaft" or some contemporary hiphop songs. There's a similar inconsistency in the guitar. The song begins with acoustic guitar, which remains throughout, but soon features as well an electric guitar using pedal effects. Rather than enhance the song (and several other songs too), the addition of this electric guitar sound is only distracting. The first thing I would suggest for any new release is to get rid of both the electric guitar and the effects.
"Stupid Cat" is a rocking little blues number with a nice groove, solid rhythm section, and some very cool organ. As with most of the songs on this release, Miller's vocal is a tad too low in the mix so that the words are hard to discern. That's a shame. "Stupid Cat" sounds like, given a little polishing, it may become a very funny song. Musically, this is the most consistent song on this release. It may also be the best.
The first song is a disappointment and demonstrates some of the production problems that exist in varying degrees throughout this release. "Dakota Sunrise" has a pretty melody and a competently written lyric. Given a different, more balanced mix, it could become a very enjoyable song. Here, not only is Miller's voice too low in the mix but the balance between the other elements is very uneven. The hand drum, tambourine, and whatever other shakey things are used are loud enough at times to cover the rest of the instruments. The backing vocals detract from more than complement the lead vocal, and they seem at times to be slipping off key. In this song, at times Miller also seems to be slipping a bit off. In what could be a nice little pop folk song, the bridge features an attack of electric guitar and effects which both is inconsistent with the rest of the song and covers Miller's vocal when she comes back in.
"Living Out of Boxes" is perhaps the best example of what this release could have been. The instrumental is restrained, with discrete strings bringing in a romantic touch. The words can be heard and they tell a touching story of modern-day life.
The songs on Crazy Horse run the gamut of folk, country, and pop styles with perhaps too little control exerted by the producers to keep the sound consistent and balanced. Miller has a sweet voice that harks back to any number of singers of the late Sixties and early seventies. However, this feels more like a demo put together for bookers at the local bars than it does a commercial release. The talent is clearly there. It's the arrangement and production that bring this release down.
More information on Denise Miller & Son can be found at www.amg.org.
|
Since about February 14, 2004, |
While you're here, please take the time to check out our sponsors below and on other pages.
Got a new or recent release you would like reviewed?
Click here 
for more information.
|
on Sound Bytes' Free-For-All Links page... Click Here.
Designed by The Communication Centre (R. D. MacKenzie Associates,
Kingston, Ontario K7K 6T9)
This web site, all pages, original content & images copyright © 1997-2002 R. D. MacKenzie.
Some web site functions developed and provided by Bravenet Web Services.
Review written: September 2, 2002
Page modified: February 14, 2004
Proudly Canadian
Send mail to the Sound Bytes Webmaster
if you have questions or comments about this web site.