Here's a tasty little recording from guitarist Jon Davis Miller titled A Reference In Time, produced & engineered by Daniel Crommie, who should be no stranger to regular readers of this website. Miller states that he's mainly an acoustic & nylon string guitar player, but he delivers some stunning electric guitar work on this album, as well as bass and drum programming. Mr. Crommie also gets in on the fun with some flute, synths and rhythm beds. Most of these tunes are catchy, melodic, and filled with some very lovely playing. The title track mixes gorgeous acoustic guitar with searing, Robin Trower/Ronnie Montrose styled electric leads, while on "Next Rite" Crommie's floating flute passages soar over some intricate acoustic picking from Miller. Other notable tracks include the haunting "Shift", the acoustic solo "Notable Crickets", the funky blues of "Pop Fifty", the classy jazz-funk of "E-Bow Gets Funky" (one of my personal favorites), and the marvelous "Duet", which sees Miller's gentle picking perfectly seated alongside Crommie's melodic flute lines. There's even a little Latin jazz on the upbeat "A Title Wave" and breezy folk on the uplifting "Across Time & Back".
If you love classy guitar oriented music that's not showy but just drips with emotion and bright melodies, A Reference In Time will be a wonderful discovery. Jon Davis Miller is a wonderful player and songwriter, and he's created a CD here that is guaranteed to many any day a real good day. Kudos for that.
Track Listing
- A Reference in Time
- Next Rite
- Shift
- Notable Crickets
- How Long Should I Wait
- Pop Fifty
- E-Bow Gets Funky
- Breathe Under Water
- Duet
- A Title Wave
- Rushed From August
- Across Time & Back