Buddy and
Julie Miller have been making records separately for over 20 years. During that time, however, despite playing on one another's recordings, this is only the second one they've made collaboratively. Written in Chalk is steeped in American music tradition. Whether it's country, blues, boozy swing, or rock, this husband-and-wife duo lays it all down with authenticity, great humor, and honest emotion. They recorded the set at their home studio in Nashville, with help from old friends like Brady Blade,
Matt Rollings,
Chris Donohue,
John Deaderick,
Jay Bellerose,
Emmylou Harris,
Patty Griffin, and
the McCrary Sisters, as well as some new ones, including
Larry Campbell and
Robert Plant.
Julie wrote eight of these dozen songs. They are among the most sophisticated and emotionally resonant of her career -- and that's saying plenty. The album opener is the devastatingly beautiful reminiscence "Ellis County," with
Buddy's lead vocal looking back to "...when all we could afford was laughter/And two mules instead of a tractor...where there was nothing left to throw out/When there was a light that wouldn't go out...." With
Campbell's fiddle adding the high lonesome of Appalachia in the track, one can imagine
Levon Helm singing this song, but it's so much more effective with
Buddy and
Julie.
Julie Miller also writes about heartbreak in a singular way. She avoids clichés and, when singing her own songs, doesn't need to over-emote because the truth of them lies in her lyrics and soft expression. Instead, she inhabits her lyrics fully, and one can feel the weight in them as they come up from the depths of the pierced heart of her protagonists and resonate in the mournful grain of her voice.
Julie helps out on two such songs, "Don't Say Goodbye," the single most devastating song on the record, and the resigned loneliness of "Chalk." In her song "Long Time,"
Julie's blues-drenched vocal brings to mind a young
Rickie Lee Jones, but without the sass and swagger. For
Julie Miller, these lyrics and her melody carry all the power they need; her delivery allows them to assert themselves -- and they do authoritatively. The smoky, boozy trumpet solo by
Kami Lyle is another highlight. The pair wrote "Gasoline and Matches," which offers an honest and humorous view of a mismatched couple who nonetheless find themselves knitted inseparably together. The evocation of taut finger-popping jump jazz and blues suggests the loungey early stylings of
Tom Waits, but the guitaristry belongs to
Buddy alone.
Plant duets with
Buddy on a gritty, slithering bluesy version of
Mel Tillis' "What You Gonna Do Leroy." His rootsy vocal is in perfect keeping with
Gurf Morlix's lap steel and
Stuart Duncan's fiddle. The closing track on this set is another cover, but this time its spiritual resonance is profound.
Julie sings both background and harmony vocals with
Buddy on Leon Payne's underappreciated classic "The Selfishness in Man," to send the recording off as a haunted reflection on sin. Written in Chalk is a welcome return by one of American music's great -- if under-recognized -- duos.
Buddy Miller's production and guitar work have been well documented on recordings and in the critical vernacular, as have
Julie Miller's songs. But together, they are an unbeatable combination and this album is the indisputable proof. Roots music is alive and well, and is being served up red hot here. ~ Thom Jurek