Orphans and Angels

Description

Orphans and Angels is the third album by the American singer and songwriter Julie Miller, released in 1993 as her final album on Myrrh Records, a division of Word. The album was recorded by Buddy Miller at his home studio Dogtown Studio in Nashville, Tennessee; with Dan Posthuma, Buddy Miller, and Julie Miller producing. Additional engineering in Nashville (Keith Compton), N.Y.C. (Ted Spencer), and Seattle (David Zaffiro). Mixed by J.R. McNeely at Pakaderm Studios. Arranged by Julie & Buddy Miller except track 2 arranged by John Andrew Schreiner.

The album has a sparse, almost ghostly sound. Such tracks as “All My Tears,” “Nobody but You,” and “Praise to the Lord, Amen” have the feel of ancient backwoods hymns. There are lighter moments as well, particularly the singles “Angels Dance” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” (a cover of the 1969 Jackie DeShannon hit).

The album also includes a cover of “Treasure of the Broken Land”, a song written by the late singer-songwriter Mark Heard and recorded on his final studio album Satellite Sky released in 1992. Another album track, “All My Tears”, a duet with Emmylou Harris, was actually written by Julie Miller in the wake of Heard’s passing. (“All My Tears” has later been covered by Emmylou Harris on her album Wrecking Ball and by Jars of Clay on their Dove Award winning album Good Monsters.)

With ‘Orphans and Angels’ the quirky yet vulnerable Texan singer has made her best and most consistent album yet. Julie’s third, its strengths are many, not least the decision begun on her previous album ‘He Walks Through Walls‘ to put good songs over her endearing zaniness that was almost the undoing of her exceptional 1990 debut ‘Meet…‘. An album about loss – of friends, namely singer Mark Heard, and innocence in a world that wants to drag you down to its level – there is a feeling of melancholia that paradoxically pervades such an enjoyable recording. The presence of fellow roots singers Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and Valerie Carter adds to the feeling, especially on the haunting tribute to Mark Heard, «All My Tears (Be Washed Away)» (a duet with Emmylou) and «Treasure Of The Broken Land», which featured on his posthumous album ‘Satellite Sky‘ last year. The album is full of hard-won observation for, as Julie sings on «Angels Dance», “When a child that’s been world-weary reaches out his hands, God will go the distance to meet him with a smile so wide it’ll make the angels dance.” Knowing the song was co-written by multiple sclerosis sufferer and all-round heroine Victoria Williams gives the words extra poignancy. But in the States attention has been drawn to «SOS (Sick of Sex)», a track left off 1991’s ‘He Walks Through Walls’ at the insistence of her record company and which the self-same company is now using to promote this one. In it Julie condemns Hollywood and Madison Avenue for using sex to sell anything but love. Perhaps she ought to write another about the hypocrisy of Christian record companies. [James Tweed, Cross Rhythms, October 1993]

[Thom Granger, CCM, July 1993]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/orphans-and-angels/1573481082)

CD tracklist:

01. River Where Mercy Flows – 2:50
02. Put A Little Love In Your Heart – 3:36
03. Mercy’s Child – 3:15
04. Precious To God – 4:01
05. S.O.S. – 2:50
06. All My Tears – 2:43 (feat. harmony vocals by Emmylou Harris)
07. Treasure Of The Broken – 3:18
08. Jesus In Your Eyes – 2:43
09. Any Lie – 3:10
10. Angels Dance – 3:03
11. Love And Affection – 2:47
12. Nobody But You – 3:14
13. Praise To The Lord, Amen (Appalachian Praise) – 1:53

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Myrrh Records. Track 6 “All My Tears (Be Washed Away)” for Mark Heard, 1951-1992.

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