Website: Amy Millan
The Inside Pulse:
Amy Millan sings for the incredible band Stars and the incredible band Broken Social Scene, and since neither of them have anything new this year, she has released a solo album that derivates from the sound of those two sounds to land right in the middle of indie Nashville (lately known as Omaha). Yes, Honey From The Tombs is a country album, but didn’t you read my article on country music? Country doesn’t have to be bad. And it isn’t bad here. Not too bad at all.
Positives:
Amy Millan’s voice is milky and gorgeous, and her songwriting is just as adept. This is actually a great companion piece to Jenny Lewis’ solo record, since they’re both great country tryouts from singers who don’t normally do country. Fact is, this is probably the best country album out this year. The pain is there, the cliche’s are there, and most importantly, the heart is there.
Negatives:
The cliche’s are there. She references whisky about eleven million times. It does get a little tired sometimes. But hey, it wouldn’t be a country album if the theme wasn’t repeated over and over.
Cross-breed:
Jenny Lewis meets Stars, pretty much.
Reason To Buy:
There are points on this record that you will see God. Maybe it’s on the Flaming Lips-like “Wayward and Parliament”, maybe it’s on “Losing You”, maybe it’s on the single “Skinny Boy”. But at some point in the record, your mind slows down and you collect yourself and see it. Not too many albums give that kind of epiphany. It’ll also make you smile and cry like nothing else.
