Uncut - "[D]arker, exploring the destructive effects of love and commitment: how marriage might raise you up and drag you down, how it maims as easily as it heals."

Rovi

Buddy & Julie Miller are two unique talents who happen to work very well together, which is convenient, since they happen to be married. He's a fine songwriter and an inspired guitarist and producer with a gift for the evocative and atmospheric, while Julie's lyrics are compelling stories of love and human experience that gain greater emotional depth through her voice, which subtly melds vulnerability and strength. While Buddy Miller is one of the busier people in Nashville between his own recordings and his frequent work with others, little has been heard from Julie since she and Buddy released the duet album Written in Chalk in 2009. While health problems kept Julie on the sidelines for most of the 2010s, she was well enough late in the decade to cut a batch of fresh songs with Buddy, and 2019's Breakdown on 20th Ave. South is a welcome reminder of her special talents as a vocalist, songwriter, and collaborator. The uncluttered immediacy of the production, the funky echoes of the guitars, and the grainy strength of his harmony vocals mark this as the work of Buddy Miller, but at its best this is a showcase for Julie Miller, who wrote all 12 songs (the closer, "Storm of Kisses," features contributions from her nephew Alasdair MacKenzie) and takes most of the lead vocals. There's more texture in Julie's voice here than there was in the past, but she can still summon a wide emotional spectrum on these songs -- from the sly, sultry confidence of "Underneath the Sky" and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" to the spare candor of "Unused Heart" and "Hearts at 2 am" -- and like Sam Phillips and T-Bone Burnett, she's the rare artist who can write about faith without proselytizing and connect with a larger truth that works outside any specific doctrine. Buddy Miller lends all the support any artist could want or need on these performances, but he's smart enough to understand Julie Miller is every bit as deserving of the spotlight. On Breakdown on 20th Ave. South, he makes room for her to shine, and it's a very welcome reminder of her gentle strengths and singular voice. We need her in these days. ~ Mark Deming

Rovi