Lee Miles - 1,000 Lions

Music can be like a temperamental flower waiting to blossom. It takes patience for the beautiful payoff. Most cannot appreciate this necessity and dismiss it. This is where Lee Miles comes. His gentle harmonies can be dismissed quite readily but if one could simply take a moment out of their busy life to listen and soak up the soulful rays that shine so brightly in an album like 1,000 Lions it can enrich the seemingly meaningless fleeting moments of our lives.

Mr. Miles has given us an album, a vision of the world as he sees it and it's not something to be taken lightly. Every piece is a wistful journey that invokes a portrait of life, each one subtle and different. The instruments are all played by Lee himself, and that is some dedication that I greatly admire. He has a keen ear for the visions, moods and emotions each instrument can unlock because each note seems to me like a perfect, logical improvement on the last creating a euphoric experience once each piece has delivered its message. Not excluded from these instruments would be his voice, a strong asset. He fuses the everlasting spirit of Nick Drake with such comanches of country western folk as Willie Nelson and Woody Guthrie. Gentle, peaceful and observant and yet, an essence of command, boldness and authority that can be summoned readily. There is no rush or panic, his voice so at peace, it only begs the question "what the hell was ever the rush?" The qualities that snatch the heart by its strings and carry it through the air so wistfully shine through in songs such as "Birmingham", the highs and lows that feel so absolutely right it makes you want to snatch a loved one and cling to them for love and life.

There is also something to be said about the songwriting. Consider the contrast between song titles "Wait For Thee" and "Encounter With A Crackwhore in Mid-September". It most definitely begs a second, if not third glance. It's in this poetic tongue-in-cheek wit that leads me to believe Lee isn't out to write beautiful yet inevitably dispensable songs. He has a voice that demands attention and his songwriting maintains it quite well, finding a strange balance between beautiful, light hearted melodies and surprisingly dark subject matter. It just brings to light a vision of life that could be remarkably enlightening. I find the ability to write a song a glorious gift; a privilege that most modern songwriters don't utilize to the best of their abilities. To manipulate emotions and expand minds with your unique vision of life is an exciting idea. Your soul can be soaked up by hundreds of thirsty listeners looking for an answer to some formless question they don't even know how to ask.

There is much reward to be unraveled in a work like this. It is the music that beautiful moments, long inspired daydreams and loving memories are made of. It just takes a spare moment to penetrate its soft shell. I've had this album for a number of weeks now and it having settled snugly into my subconscious, I still find a burning desire to pop it in from time to time. I don't believe it will be leaving my album circulation for quite some time. I can't think of a better spring companion.