ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
April 13, 2021
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
In our 2014 review of Parker Millsap's self-titled record, we offered the following:
He can also sing like the devil, maybe like a young Jimmy LaFave with more of a penchant for the soulful side of the equation. Listen to his vocal shredding shrieks on "Truck Stop Gospel", followed up by a Memphis-smooth croon complete with horns. Like fellow Oklahoman (John) Fullbright, the holy ghost aura is more of a leftover from a childhood wrapped in the bible belt rather than any present-day crusade.
That album, his second, garnered the Oklahoma artist nominations for Album of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year from the Americana Music Association, not to mention a coveted spot on the Routes & Branches Year-End Favorites List. Two years later, Parker Millsap returned with The Very Last Day, a collection steeped in the very same gospel-informed americana, driven by the artist's frenzied rhythms and rough-at-the-edges vocal deliveries on high points like "Hades Pleads" or "Hands Up".
With the arrival of 2018's Other Arrangements, Millsap had moved operations to Nashville, as he sought to rediscover the sheer joy of making music. Songs like "Fine Line" and "Some People" demonstrated an added electric punch, and lyrics focus less on backroads backsliders and more on the politics of contemporary relationships.
Released on his own Okrahoma Records label, Parker Millsap's fifth LP, Be Here Instead looks to producer John Agnello (Jessica Lea Mayfield, Waxahatchee, Kurt Vile) to help continue this evolution. It's not just the colors of his sonic palette that are changing, as the collection is lyrically refocused as well.
While the bulk of these new songs were written prior to the pandemic, tunes such as "Real Thing" resonate in light of the present circumstance. Built on a familiar rolling rhythm, the piece acknowledges that there are few substitutes for flesh-and-blood contact: I can't stand the poor connection / Can't hold your hand through the screen. Erin Rae contributes backing vocals over laidback guitar and violin. A familiar spirit also dwells in "Rolling", with its gospel-tinged vibe and rubbery low-end. There is a real air of positivity throughout Be Here Instead, a nondenominational appeal to presence and mindfulness that make the record more idea-based than Millsap's earlier character-centric work.
Where Other Arrangements plugged into rock, pop and blues currents, Millsap's new stuff showcases the soulful elements in the songwriter's sound. "Vulnerable" floats on breezy keys and satisfying bass, featuring an imploring delivery: It takes a whole lot of trust to fall. That vocal rasp has been present since the beginning, though it's especially effective in this setting. Even as he adds synths to "Now, Here" and "In Your Eyes", the collection is well grounded in warmth and a yearning for the human touch: It's hard to be a dancer baby when you're living in your head.
Millsap has always been rhythmically driven, generating a frenzied energy on "Dammit". An edgy electric guitar ushers in a tumble of drums as the unfolding processing erupts and punches a ragged hole in the big sky: All the winners are just lucky losers baby. See also, the gospel gratitude of "It Was You" or the bluesy guitar and organ of "Passing Through".
But with no songs about trains, no Bible thumpers or truckstop preachers, Be Here Instead is more Eckhart Tolle than King James. It's a collection that preaches a contemporary gospel of gratitude and devotion, even as it is a deeply sense-uous credo. It's a timely message during our age of spacing and concealment. With its fiery guitar, "Being Alive" states it simply: You're not failing / If you're breathing. Parker Millsap delivers this stirring reminder in a soulful package, taking his own risks and embracing the reward of living in the present moment. Embraced by lush synths and bright keys: Don't put yesterday / On the replay / You were just there. Amen.
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Recent adds to A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster include Cluster Flies, a JamBase tribute to Phish's 2000 Farmhouse record. The 17-cut compilation debuts April 30 and features contributions from Sadler Vaden, Strand of Oaks, Vetiver and more. On another forthcoming covers album, Black Keys (finally) return to their roots. On Nonsuch Records May 14, Delta Kream boasts the duo's take on classics by RL Burnside, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough and more. Former Dead Confederate T Hardy Morris has set June 25 as the release date for his next effort. Digital Age of Rome arrives via the Normaltown label. Save that same date for Lucy Dacus' eagerly awaited Home Video (Matador). JP Harris collaborates with Chance McCoy under the moniker Dreadful Wind & Rain. They'll be dropping Don't You Marry No Railroad Man June 25 on Free Dirt Records.
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