Description
Meet Julie Miller is the solo debut album by the American singer and songwriter Julie Miller, released on Myrrh Records in 1990, a division of Word. The album was produced by Dan Posthuma with Buddy Miller. Mixed by Dan Garcia. Featuring backing vocals from Shawn Colvin, Victoria Williams, Amy Grant, Kelly Willard and Russ Taff.
From the start, Julie Miller stood apart from most CCM artists. Her tremulous singing conveyed vulnerability rather than spiritual strength and her songs could be disturbingly personal. Still, her lyrics were undeniably faith-based. Features “How Could You Say No,” originally written by Micky Cates in 1981 and recorded a couple of years later by Streetlight, a band featuring Buddy and Julie.
Don’t know if you’ve heard the buzz yet, but there’s a lot of talk going around about this young lady. We jaded industry-types tend to be skeptical when a major label like Myrrh invests a good deal of time and energy into an artist like Julie Miller, who is “off the beaten path” (as compared to most Christian pop). After all, Leslie Phillips jettisoned the label (and the business), leaving, shall we say, a “marketing opportunity” for the quirky-yet-popular niche she occupied. And after one listen to this debut album and a brief perusal of the credits, there are some rather interesting, uh, similarities. Look at Phillips’ early albums and look at this: produced by Dan Posthuma, Brad Burkhart as “creative consultant,” guest vocals by Russ Taff, and studio contributions by John Schreiner, Leland Sklar, and Carlos Vega – not to mention the more than occasional references to Leslie’s vocal style. It’s enough to turn a skeptic into a cynic.
But the concept here is ‘Meet Julie Miller’, which serves not only to title the album, but to challenge one to begin a new relationship with a new artist. Good thing too, ’cause despite the aforementioned “coincidences,” this is a very impressive first outing by a very talented new writer and singer. The similarities are there – and very real, from vocals to production concepts – but get over it, and meet Julie Miller.
The brief intro called «Dogtown» practically says it all – non-production-production (Robert Fripp used to call it audio verite), and snippets of phrase borrowed from Cyndi, Rickie, and Leslie, and a street-wise way with words. By the time «You Knew the Way to My Heart» hits, it’s all in the pocket, complete with jangly guitars, college-audience arrangements and a catchy hook to boot. In fact, there are plenty of those hooky moments here, guaranteed to grow on the cells of your brain (or something like that).
The first big suprise comes with «What Would Jesus Do», which begins with the parable of the lost sheep, and culminates into a powerful ballad with – get this – background vocals by Russ Taff and Amy Grant, which is not only terribly impressive company for a new artist, but also begs the question of why we have never heard a Taff/Grant duet to date. (Heaven knows he’s sung on everybody else’s album!) Anyway, it’s indicative of the serious spiritual tone that infuses much of this project, and may serve to hasten the endearing process with Christian radio.
All of which is to say that ‘Meet Julie Miller’ is a real respectable freshman effort, full of life and love and mostly good songs, coupled with Dan Posthuma’s finest production work of his career, competent and hip musical tracks and vocals, and most of all Miss Miller, a childlike adult cartoon for the ’90s, and a welcome addition to contemporary Christian music. Just say “Julie.” [Thom Granger, CCM, May 1990]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/meet-julie-miller/1165996555)
CD tracklist:
01. Dogtown – 0:30
02. You Knew the Way to My Heart – 2:56
03. Mystery Love – 3:05
04. What Would Jesus Do – 5:53
05. Don’t Cry for Me – 3:50
06. How Could You Say No – 3:27
07. King of My Heart – 0:50
08. Song to the Devil (I’m Thru With You) – 2:37
09. Who Owns Your Heart – 2:45
10. My Psychiatrist – 2:10
11. Love Will Find You – 3:46
12. Dangerous Place – 2:59
13. I Will Arise and Go to Jesus – 2:55
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Myrrh Records.
A double-page advertisement for Julie Miller’s solo debut album Meet Julie Miller was featured in the May 1990 issue of CCM Magazine.
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