Lisa Miller, Morning in the Bowl of Night.

After many years of performing live and producing just as many albums, Lisa Miller's returns to the studio with the help of leading skilled guitarist/producer, Shane O'Mara, to produce this years collection of deeply, heartfelt songs for WIFECD007, on Morning in the Bowl of Night.

Morning in the Bowl of Night is a mature album for the, dare I say it, the mature audience. Calling upon subject matter that appears almost alien to the young, she captures a period of love gone lost coupled with hurt and pain. Please don't get me wrong here. Love and loss intersect at any age, but her sweet and wistfully sparse songs (almost too sparse for my liking) appeal and feel to an older audience.

Opening up with the track, Upside, her blue-almost folksy vocal tones appears distinctly unique that is also sweet and delightful with backing vocals/harmonies by Rebecca Barnard (of Rebecca's Empire fame). As we move deeper into the album on tracks such as Amused and Confused and Bottle up my Tears, little has changed with her vocal accomplishments and one is almost starting to the feel the slow rise of boredom. The album is carried along by traditional instruments, which not only contemplates the rise of boredom, but sets the feel of the album at a meander rather than a pace.

And while her tones and lyrics would suggest an all-pervading melancholy, ultimately Morning in the Bowl of Night is first and foremost (and I hope I've got this right) a record about hope and survival. Miller may not capture the wondrous stark simplicity and rare poignancy of artists such as Beth Orton or Martha Wainwright, but she captures a local feel and flavour that deserves a much wider audience.

Track highlight: Love Will Carry You.

Other highlights: The family album photographs adorning the cover and inside flap.

Lisa Miller launching "Morning In The Bowl Of Night" at The Toff In Town, Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street Melbourne on Thursday May 10 and Friday May 11. Special guests for both shows are Dog Trumpet from Sydney.
Doors open 9:00 pm.

Review by Ducks