In my experience, good folk music comes from conventional perspectives rather than anything too experimental, and in his new single “A Light out There,” singer/songwriter Pete Miller aligns himself with some of the simplest players we’ve heard in the modern era. Instead of banking his natural rusticity as a player on a backing band, or even a moderate beat to back up his vocal, he’s going into the recording studio raw with his guitar and natural voice alone, quickly proving that anything more would have come between artist and audience in what feels like a truly, unabashedly intimate relationship.
Miller isn’t just giving us lyrical imagery through which to appreciate what he has to say but instead allowing for us to feel the passion in his heart through the thorough delivery of his voice. What he develops in terms of harmony between his singing and the firm melodies of the string is so striking that it accounts for a lot of the depth in the track, which is not something I have been able to say for the bulk of indie-folk I’ve been reviewing this season. This player has something special in “A Light out There,” and I believe even the more discriminating critics among us will agree.
These strings are more than just the wordless pandering of a simple instrumental backdrop – they’re a symphony of Americana, beckoning those who love puritan acoustic music like few other accents ever could have. I had never listened to Miller play before sitting down with this debut single, but I think he has the right idea recording with a guitar in his lap. His is a voice that thrives beside the strings, and while I could see him being as melodic with a piano, it just wouldn’t feel as seamless as it does in this setting.
I’m very excited to hear how Miller is going to evolve as an artist in the coming years, and I don’t believe he needs to be worried about carving out an identity for himself with material in the vein of “A Light out There.” This is a quality, uncompromising presentation of who this man is as a recording artist, and whether he’s able to carry forth the same presence on stage as he does in the studio or not, he’s got a talent that is going to attract a lot of ears in performances as stunning as this one is.
Chadwick Easton