Buddy Miller is no stranger to Americana land for a long time. He first gained fame as a guitarist in Emmylou Harris' band but now also makes solo records (with his wife Julie among others). The musical direction of Buddy Miller is just as difficult to describe as the term Americana itself, but roughly his music is an extension of Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell and John Hiatt. On United House Of Prayer,
… Miller takes a slightly different approach and presents the listener with eleven gospel-roots songs. Sometimes Miller makes his guitar grunt (I Worry Too Much) but in general the atmosphere is quite subdued and it is embellished here and there with fiddle and lap steel. A special feature is the background vocals of the gospel singers Ann and Regina McCrary, who put the already strong vocals of Buddy in the limelight. But across the board it is the very strong material, largely written by Miller himself, that makes Universal United House Of Prayer an absolute must in alternative country. (RPK)more
