LEE MILES – Bear
Posted: September 8th, 2005, by Fraser CampbellI’ll come out with what I don’t like about this record straight off. On a couple of tracks, there is some plinky-plonky, clean strat-style guitar that kind of sets my teeth on edge.
And that’s about it. Other than that, this is a very good, occassionally great collection of taut, stripped down country numbers.
Apart from some excellent songs, Lee’s great strength is his voice, half Layne Staley growl, half Neil Diamond melodrama, which he couples with a sharp instinct towards presenting his work in as uncluttered a fashion as possible.
It’s a good formula. The spartan production values allow both his soaring voice and deceptivley graceful songs to come to the fore.
Miles displays some fairly obvious singer/songwriter influences here, most notably on “Cold Wind Blowin'”, which borrows heavily (and knowingly) from Dylan’s “Isis”.
But there are signs here that Miles could develop into a genuinely significant songwriter, with cracking tracks like “My Protector My Punisher”, “Canned and Jarred”, “Mrs James” and “Mama They Made Me Beg” leading the line.
I’m a huge fan of Kris Kristofferson’s early records and that’s who Lee Miles reminds me of the most, a little less pithy maybe with a little bit further to go. On this evidence, I’m pretty confident he’ll get there sooner rather than later.
Fraser Campbell
Fraser is a small cuddly foul-mouthed bunny rabbit trapped in the body of a man. As one half of the slightly infamous You Owe Me Glue/Cheery Bananas comedy duo he has been peddling cheap laughs for a number of years. In order to finance his comedy talents, Fraser spends 8 hours a day locked in a battle of wills with a giant fearsome monster known only as 'The CRM'. For more information on the ful l range of services available from Fraser contact us today.