Jason Charles Miller unveiled his latest album this weekend, ending a wait of roughly six years since the release of his then latest album, In The Wasteland (2018). The 10-song record, Knives in the Dark, is a welcome new offering from the rocker that is an equally good jumping on point for audiences who may be less familiar with Miller and his catalog. That is due in part to its musical arrangements. The lyrical themes that accompany that material add their own appeal to the album and will be addressed a little later. The sequencing of that material and the record’s production put the finishing touch to the whole. All things considered, Knives in the Dark proves a record that will appeal to a wide range of audiences and that is another of the year’s top new independent albums.
Knives in the Dark, the latest album from Jason Charles Miller, is a strong new offering from the veteran musician and singer. It is a presentation that will appeal just as much to Miller’s established audiences as to fans of southern rock and rock. That is due in large part to its featured musical arrangements. For the most part the arrangements featured in this roughly 36-minute album are clear southern rock and country opuses. The one song that really does lean more purely toward country – ‘Run The Road’ – is more of a modern country type composition but the harmony that he and fellow vocalist Cristina Vee generate in the song’s choruses is so beautiful in its simplicity. The band also turns in a somewhat rock direction at least once in ‘Along For The Ride.’ Miller actually sounds so close, vocally, to Alter Bridge front man Myles Kennedy here even when the arrangement turns more southern rock in its bridge from the rock leanings more prevalent in the majority of the song. On yet another run, Miller and his fellow musicians turn the page again, going in a decidedly blues rock direction early on in the form of ‘Got Me On The Run.’ One could even argue that as Miller and company close out the new album with ‘One Step Away,’ the group moves in a more Blues Saraceno direction. The bluesy rocker is easily comparable to his hit single, ‘The Bible or The Gun.’ As if all of that is not enough, listeners can even make some subtle comparison to certain works from Bon Jovi (IE ‘Blaze of Glory’ and ‘Dead or Alive’) in a pair of songs here, too. Simply put, the musical material featured throughout this record offers listeners plenty of diversity even being limited to its southern rock and rock leanings. It is reason enough for audiences to hear the album.
The musical arrangements featured throughout Knives in the Dark is just part of what makes the album worth hearing. Its lyrical material makes for its own appeal. That is because of its familiarity and accessibility. The record’s opener, ‘I Need a Rescue,’ is a bluesy piece that finds its subject openly stating he needs help turning his life around. The infectious, rocking arrangement and gospel/soul type choruses really give it a kick considering Miller and company could have gone – musically – in a much more somber direction. The arrangement here creates a mood here of someone who still has hope of turning things around and is reaching out for help.
The album’s next track, its title track, is a fitting follow-up, as it centers on learning from the past, and using that knowledge to better one’s self for the future. This is clear as Miller sings in the song’s chorus, “There are shadows from the past/Wielding knives in the dark/There’s a message in the glass/Going straight to your heart/If you never see the light/You’ll never know if you’re wrong or right.” In other words, those shadows, those skeletons are there. If you don’t heed the shadows and that message, looking back, your future is not bright. It is a relatively accessible way to deliver a familiar message that is as welcome here as in so many other cases.
From there, Miller turns the attention to the all too familiar topic of relationships in ‘Got Me on the Run’ and ‘Digging in the Dust.’ The former is about the control a woman has on a man, comparing the woman to a gun and the man to a bullet controlled by the gun’s actions. It is an intriguing way to approach such a familiar topic. From there, he focuses on toxic relationships that people do not want to admit are at their end with ‘Digging in the Dirt.’ It makes for an interesting pairing of songs, lyrically speaking.
The next grouping of songs makes for its own lyrical interest. ‘Along For The Ride’ comes across as a statement about someone who knows he has put himself in a bad situation. The message is delivered in what feels like an allegorical fashion. This is someone who realizes the folly of getting himself in such position, too. It is sort of taking accountability. That is just this critic’s interpretation. ‘Darkest Horse’ comes across as a statement that works well with the album’s title track. That is because he is warning people about the type of person he is. Looking back at the album’s title track, realizing what he is will help realize in the present and future, he was wrong. It really plays into the album’s title and the theme that reaches across the songs from there.
‘Blood and Bone’ whose musical arrangement is easily comparable to Bon Jovi’s ‘Blaze of Glory’ in its stylistic approach and sound, comes across as a revelatory piece about realizing we are all just human. This as he sings, ‘Shadow/Like a shadow that’s drifting along/I’ve gotta let go/Of all I’ve been shown/I know/That we’re all just dirt…that’s held together by blood and bone.” There again is that introspection that plays in to the album’s title and the theme of its title track — realizing the truth, seeing that light. It is just addressing that theme in another way.
‘One Step Away’ follows that theme in its own way, too. It is someone who sees who and what he has been and the reality of the world. In the process that person realizes that certain things are “just a step away” both good and bad. So again, here is another song whose theme follows the album’s overarching theme of seeing those shadows from the past and seeing the light to move forward. It is delivered in an accessible manner, too.
Without a doubt, the collective lyrical content featured across Knives in the Dark does a lot to make the album worth hearing. It all follows one central theme developed through the album’s title and its title track, as hopefully has been made clear here. When that familiar and accessible content is considered alongside the album’s musical arrangements, which are fully accessible and infectious, too, that whole makes for so much for audiences to appreciate.
The overall content featured in the album is only part of its appeal. The sequencing and production of that content adds another level of enjoyment. As audiences will note, it seems that lyrically, there was clearly a certain amount of thought that went into this matter. That is obvious in the clear delivery of certain themes together. The musical arrangements also seem to follow certain directions throughout. This is more proof of the time and thought that went into the album’s presentation. When the result hereof is considered alongside the expert production that very well balances the vocals and instrumentation throughout, the result overall is an aesthetic that puts the finishing touch to the whole. When that positive aesthetic is considered along with the positive impact of the album’s overall content, the whole there makes Knives in the Dark a successful presentation from beginning to end.
Knives in the Dark, the latest album from Jason Charles Miller, is an impressive offering from the veteran singer-musician. It is a record that is equal part great jumping on point for new audiences and new offering for Miller’s established audiences. That is proven in part through its musical arrangements, which are diverse even in their similarity in style and sound. There is southern rock, blues rock and even some modern country, giving plenty for a wide range of audiences. The songs’ lyrical content follows one central theme just in different ways, making for its own interest. When the positive impact of the sequencing of all of that content, and its production, is considered collectively, the whole makes Knives in the Dark a strong offering from Miller that is one more of this year’s top new independent albums.
Miller is in the midst of a tour in support of his new album. The tour’s schedule is noted below:
JASON CHARLES MILLER UPCOMING TOUR DATES
(more dates to be announced, check website for additions)
Aug 3-4 Guangzhou Shi, China Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest
Aug 5-6 Guangzhou Shi, China Final Fantasy XIV w/ Eorzean Symphony
Aug 23 Buffalo, NY Electric City w/ Steel Panther
Aug 24-25 Hampton, NH Wally’s Pub w/ Steel Panther
Aug 27 Harrisburg, PA XL Live w/ Steel Panther
Aug 28 Dewey Beach, DE Bottle & Cork w/ Steel Panther
Aug 30 Portland, ME Aura w/ Steel Panther
Aug 31 Bar Harbour, ME 1932 Criterion Theatre w/ Steel Panther
Sep 01 Albany, NY Empire Live w/ Steel Panther
Sep 02 New York City, NY TBA
Sep 04 Fort Wayne, IN Piere’s w/ Steel Panther
Sep o5 Nashville, TN TBA
Sep 06 Lexington, KY Manchester Music Hall w/ Steel Panther
Sep 07 Springield, MO Gillioz Theatre w/ Steel Panther
Sep 08 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre w/ Steel Panther
Sep 10 Destin, FL Club LA w/ Steel Panther
Sep 11 Jacksonville, FL TBA
Sep 12 Fort Lauderdale, FL Culture Room w/ Steel Panther
Sep 13 Augusta, GA Miller Theater w/ Steel Panther
Sep 14 Jacksonville, NC Hooligan’s Music Hall w/ Steel Panther
Sep 21-22 Yokohama, Japan Yokohama Arena w/ The Primals
Oct 12-15 Seoul, South Korea Kintex – Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest
Dec 14 Los Angeles, CA Bar Sinister
Knives in the Dark is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Jason Charles Miller’s latest news at:
Website: http://www.jasoncharlesmiller.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.comjasoncharlesmiller
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jasoncmiller
