A woman's gotta know her limitations
05/14/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I loved "Slightly Haunted," a wonderful album that got lost in a great year for female singer/songwriters. I wouldn't characterize it as a better album than "A Few Small Repairs," "This Fire," or "Living with Ghosts," but I have probably listened to it more. I love her voice -- warm, plangent, and somewhat edgy in a very human way, and she has a gift for catchy, memorable melodies. Miles is a performer whose weaknesses -- occasional rough bendings of her voice over the melodic turns and an apparent inability to distinguish grimace-producing cliches from real lyrical insights -- are almost as endearing as her gifts. That said, this album is less satisfying than "Slightly Haunted." Larry Klein's glitzy, high-powered production tends to call attention to Miles's missteps rather than glossing them over, and her songwriting this time out doesn't quite measure up to the quality of "SH." "This is a song about the way life is" may be the worst opening line of any song I've heard this year. But the lovely voice and melodic gift are still there. And Miles saves the best for last: "Rust," with just that voice, her simple piano, and her deeply felt, exquisitely chosen words, is damn near perfect. Lynn, sometimes less is more."
A must have -- every song is great!
D. Hill | Falls Church, VA USA | 05/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw Lynn open for I think Luka Bloom earlier this year at The Barns at Wolf Trap. She is great live so go see her. I originally bought the CD (at the show) to share with my brother who so often turns me on to new singer/songwriters he's discovered. But it's so great I can't part with it, so am buying one for him plus several more as other gifts. Actually, I can't stop listening to it! I wholehearterdly agree with comments of all the other reviews posted so far. A must have for anyone who's into Lucy K., John Gorka, Richard Shindell, Kim Richey, etc etc.!"
Ottawa Girl Makes Good
mark munger | Duluth, Minnesota United States | 01/03/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I stumbled into Lynn Miles by accident. My kids were driving me nuts so I took a "time out" and went to a local coffee house for a break from family life. Lynn was the musician on stage and her vocals and guitar playing blew me away. I'd never heard of her but have now purchased all three of her more recent albums. "Night" is supposed to be the weakest of the three. Frankly, I couldn't tell and the stuff on the disk is so much better than most of the [stuff] on the radio, it really doesn't matter how it stacks up against her other work. But, even upon comparison, it's a great record."