peter-miller.com

Review from FOLK AUSTRALIA

Peter Miller is a talented Australian guitarist living on Queensland's Gold Coast.
His debut CD is a collection of 17 original compositions for guitar.

While showcasing Miller's musical capabilities, these sensitive musical pieces
keep the listener well and truly in mind.
Each piece engages us quickly, ushering us into the world that he has created.
The natural landscape dominates many of the tracks on this CD.
Natural sounds and movements are skilfully reproduced through each
composition and an ambience of particular space and places is created.

Each piece is meticulously performed.
The majority are played on fingerstyle acoustic guitar
but the electric guitar and E-bow are also used to enhance the mood.

Miller is influenced by a number of notable guitarists and a fitting tribute to one,
the late Michael Hedges, is the composition Breakfast with Mr Hedges

This CD has a musical freshness that allows the listener to reflect upon the pictures
created by the instruments. Peter Miller's CD is well worth a listen.

Jim Low- Folk Australia 2007
http://folkaustralia.com

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Peter Miller “From A Distant Shore” 2007

Hailing from Australia, acoustic guitarist Peter Miller developed
a unique guitar style which has been inspired from players
like the late Michael Hedges, Phil Keaggy and Michael Fix among
many other musicians. His compositions are most reminiscent to
the late Michael Hedges, with intimate painted poetic escapades
which come straight from the heart. The atmosphere on the CD
is at times melancholic, soothing and reflective. The record is
a superb way and the guitar techniques he uses are noteworthy.
Most pennings have a lot of space and it feels very serene and
heart-warming. Many tracks sound like improvisations with a lot
of space and reflect a spiritual feeling. Personal favourites are
'Breakfast With Mr Hedges' and the title track from this album
“From A Distant Shore” with the typical Michael Hedges sound.
“Hand Dancing” the opening cut on the CD has a transcendent
setup with a beautiful melody line and fine structure. Peter Miller
succeeded in delivering a captivating CD which will attract any
guitar enthusiast.

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PETER MILLER – FROM A DISTANT SHORE

This is a remarkably beautiful and inventive album of instrumental
fingerstyle guitar music from Queensland-based Peter Miller
(not to be confused with the dark electronica soundscapist of the same name).
The pieces float and shimmer, drift and sparkle, creating an
open-ended ambience that is always dynamic and never becomes
insipid or ‘new age'. The production quality is excellent, with a few
subtle effect treatments and occasional layers of restrained electric
guitar to add sonic texture. These pieces wander in and out like
momentary musings, musical daydreams reminiscent of the
Windham Hill players of previous decades. Peter is clearly a very
technically aware musician, but unlike some players whose
precision can become too cerebral, Peter's use of space and gentle
inner momentum gives his mastery warmth and soul.

Many of the pieces, as titles like ‘Hand Dancing' and
‘Finger Painting' imply, are freefall improvisations and spontaneous
experiments. The most obviously rhythmic track is ‘Chase The Wind',
a soundscape that includes didjeridu and storm sounds to embellish
a slightly more urgent atmosphere than the rest of the album.

I particularly like ‘Breakfast With Mr Hedges', Peter's tribute to guitarist
Michael Hedges, which has a kind of abstract form without losing its
ambient quality. In fact, every track has multiple moments of delight,
and it's an album that works really well in its entirety.

Peter's music succeeds both as a soothing background soundtrack
and as a deep-listening sonic journey and experience in acoustic sound.

Highly recommended.

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