Description
Performing Songwriter, May 2006
Danielle Miraglia "Nothing Romantic"

Folk fans in the Northeast are already hip to the talents of Danielle Miraglia, and with her latest release, Nothing Romantic, it won’t be long before the rest of the country takes notice as well. The record begins with “Snow Globe” which showcases her impressive talent on the acoustic guitar, fingerpicking like ol’ Doc Watson himself. Next comes “Sell My Soul,” a rowdy, bluesy number about the temptations and frustrations of the music scene. “Pull up the black limousine, dig me from this hole, set up the drum machine, I’m ready to sell my soul,” Miraglia sings as soulful harmonica and bari sax commiserate.

Mandolin, bass, piano, dobro, pedal steel and drums all make appearances on the record, weaving in and around the true star of the record: Miraglia’s smoky vocals. They sweetly draw you in, while spiritedly getting her point across.

Blogcritics.com

Danielle Miraglia, "Nothing Romantic" - By Jon Sobel www.blogcritics.com

Danielle Miraglia's country/folk/blues sound descends in large part from Mississippi John Hurt, and she is a worthy carrier of that guitar-picking tradition. Her voice, reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt's, is strong but vulnerable, feminine but never precious, with a gutwrenching catch to it. Her guitar playing is both accomplished and soulful, and her songs tap into the ur-melodies and fundamental chord changes that form the essence of western music, while still saying something in a distinct and original voice.

Both as a writer and as a musician Miraglia maintains a deep connection to traditional styles of playing and singing. The folky "Snow Globe," with only her guitar-picking as accompaniment, may be the saddest and best song about self-imposed isolation since Simon and Garfunkel's "I am a Rock." From its sparse beauty Miraglia segues into the draggy blues of "Sell My Soul," the obligatory "I wanna be a star" confessional every highly talented, unjustly obscure singer-songwriter has to write. It has the kind of dirty-blues feel John Hiatt mined a few years ago on his masterful Crossing Muddy Waters album.

Normally I'm not much for feel-good folk weepies, but it's hard to resist "Moment By Moment" with its earworm of a chorus and Kevin So lending backing vocal and keyboard support. "Say One Thing" is yet another winner, a harshly funny indictment of hypocrisies large and small:

Said the blind man, This is how I see it
Said the stalker, If you love that bird then free it
Said the white-hooded man, Love your brother
Say one thing and do another

Miraglia's lyrics are full of such pithiness. "Better," a clever and bouncy country-folk love song, leads into her masterpiece, "You Don't Know Nothin'," one of the best new folk songs I've heard in years. Its depiction and dissection of human misunderstanding is both sharp and tender. All you need to know about what drives people apart and what draws them together can be witnessed in a few hours spent in a bar. Many of us feel something along those lines, but Danielle Miraglia is that rare songwriter who can put it into words.

Returning to the country-blues groove, but in a minor key, "Cry" is literally about the grim frustration of being an infant who can't communicate her feelings. Perhaps metaphorically it's about artistic expression, but the lyrics draw such vivid pictures there's no need to reach for meaning. It's a fitting subject for a songwriter who's so good at getting to the roots of things: what could be more rootsy than infancy?

The title track sounds like a traditional country shuffle about life on the road, and for the most part it is, but it turns the cliched American "romance of the highway" on its head: "There nothing romantic about a highway/No big revelations, nothing new/And I can write a road song any day/There's nothing romantic about missing you." Then, in "The Only Way to Win," the protagonist pleads amusingly for misfortune and heartache so she can write great songs, sing the blues with authenticity and become a star.

In the pretty closer, "The Wind," Miraglia sings folk with authenticity. But it's the kind of song any reasonably talented folkie could have come up with. Danielle Miraglia's talents go far beyond that modest level. This CD kicks Americana ass.





Credits
Produced by: Danielle Miraglia

All songs written by Danielle Miraglia copyright 2005

Mixed by Julian Russell, Magpie Sound

Mastered by Jeff Lipton

Danielle Miraglia - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica

Tom Bianchi - Bass, backing vocals, harmonica

Dana Colley - Baritone Sax

Chris Harris - Drums

Paul Chiasson - Percussion

Kevin So - Piano, backing vocals

Ruth Peterson - Backing vocals

Jon Kleber - Lead guitar

Lloyd Thayer - Dobro, lap steel

Trevor Mills - Mandolin