Poisons Sipped Reviews
Bill Wilson
http://chickenwilson2.blogspot.com/p/moy-2014-reviews.html .. "Miller is a singer/songwriter with a diverse style. From blues and R&B to gospel, folk, rock and a twist of jazz this is one of those albums with a timeless sort of quality. This is an album that will not grow old, no matter how much time passes. From strong and driving, like John Henry driving steel, Miller leaves no question as to the point he is trying to make…from in your face, hard driving to mellow, slowed down and sultry, the sort of thing that has the lovebirds on the dancefloor holding on for dear life and hoping the moment lasts forever. On Poisons Sipped David gets an assist from the Campbell Brothers doing some of the Sacred Steel for which they are known worldwide. This is a band that loves what they do and their passion for the music is evident in every note. Dripping with passion, emotional power drives this album straight through to the heart of the listener. This is the type of band I find most entertaining in a small, intimate club setting. Any way you choose to look at it, this is a band that knows what it is that they want to say and they have the skills to make their point known and understood. There is something in this release that is going to catch the ear of everyone within listening distance. Those with a desire to dance will find more than enough encouragement to get out on the floor and do so. It is also great for that quiet evening at home sipping on your favorite libation. From “old-school” blues/ rock to sweet soul and gospel David Miller knows his stuff. A singer/songwriter and storyteller singing from what he has experienced, Miller is one of those guys who plays it from the heart. The notes falling from his guitar are drenched with passion and, when he opens his mouth and begins to sing, you know it’ nothin’ but the pure unadulterated truth. David Michael Miller is the real deal. If I had to label Miller, I would most likely call him a soul singer but, he is so much more. With each time that I listen to Poisons Sipped, I hear something new. This is an album that is destined to become a classic, passing down through the ages as one of those things that we all come to know and love. – Bill Wilson"Buffalo News - Jeff Miershttp://www.buffalonews.com/gusto/tuned-in/david-michael-miller-drops-soul-drenched-poisons-sipped-20140515"Dive House Union, a smoking-hot soul-blues-jam outfit that has spent the last several years earning a reputation as one of the Buffalo music scene’s must-see live acts, took a hiatus a few months back – a move that proved to be an incredibly smart one. During the break, members of the band dug in their heels on various solo projects and could be seen “sitting in” at various clubs around town.
Vocalist/guitarist David Michael Miller recently completed a monthlong weekly residency at the Central Park Grill on Main Street. The occasion for the residency was a build-up to the release of Miller’s album, “Poisons Sipped.” These shows found Miller joined by members of Rochester Sacred Steel and jam-band legends the Campbell Brothers. The word-of-mouth veered between the simply ecstatic and the downright hyperbolic.
Well, that is, hyperbolic until you listen to “Poisons Sipped,” an extraordinary collection of 12 Miller compositions performed by an all-star ensemble that includes members of the Campbell Brothers and a handful of our city’s finest soul, blues and rock players. (Dive House Union saxophonist Barry Arbogast shows up on three tunes.)
Miller is one of the finest soul-based singers in our region, and throughout “Poisons Sipped,” he proves he’s also one of our most vibrant songwriters. Elements of gospel, R&B, electric blues and singer-songwriter leanings collide here to form a collection of elegant, stately and eminently grooving songs, delivered with consistent passion. This is incredibly spirited stuff, and it represents a new high-watermark for Buffalo-born recordings.
'Poisons Sipped' is available through iTunes, or via www.davemillermusic.com. Miller performs at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Howdy’s (8166 Main St., Clarence)."
Smoky Mountain Blues Society - Blue Barry :
"I don’t know how your summer is going, but if you want it to improve try this. Pick up a copy of the new David Michael Miller CD entitled “Poisons Sipped!” Singer, songwriter, and extraordinary guitar player David Michael Miller, has unleashed a monster sound for us to enjoy. The new CD has 12 originals that will inspire you to listen again. With a couple of songs 6 and 7 minutes long, David gives the listener a chance to “get into” the song. Every song is good, there are no weak spots. The CD is well thought out so that each song compliments the next. David is a phenomenal guitar player, songwriter, and has a very commanding voice. This CD will stand up against anything out there! Now that’s a big statement, but give it a listen and you’ll see. This Buffalo based musician has been playing for years, and has hooked up with a few luminaries for this latest offering. Along with Michael’s playing Chuck and Darick Campbell play steel guitar solos, that will knock you off of your feet. His rhythm section consists of Carlton Campbell, Daric Bennett, Jim Ehlinger on keyboard, and Jay Moynihan on saxophone. Other sit in as well for an outstanding blues, jazz, soul, CD that will be one of the best of the summer. Check him out at davemillermusic.com, or on Facebook, or look for him on youtube. From his smooth, soulful, and powerful voice, to flowing guitar licks, and superb songwriting, you will not be disappointed! Please take the time to check him out. The CD is called “Poisons Sipped,” and is available at CD Baby, ITunes, and Amazon. David Michael Miller gives you way more than expected in every area he excels in. Thanks so much Michael, and the best to you. One love, blue barry – smoky mountain blues society"
Bman Blues Report - Bman :
http://www.bmansbluesreport.com/2014/05/david-michael-miller-poisons-sipped-new.html
"I just received the newest release, Poisons Sipped, from David Michael Miller and it's terrific! Opening with Hand Me Downs, a slide guitar boogie with great vocals, Miller cuts a swath that will be hard to follow. With a romping pace and a gritty feel, this track has screaming lap steel slide work by Darick Campbell and backing vocals by Serena Young and Jasmine Neeley as well as driving bass by Daric Bennett and drums by Carlton Campbell. Great start. Edge Of The End Of The World is a pop track with a real nice feel. Miller really does have a cool voice and backing by Young and Neeley add substantially. Jim Ehinger lays out some nice key strokes on this track and Barry Arbogast contributes a cool sax attack. Memphis Belle is a deep track with a real grip. Miller has a great feel for blues vocals and phrasing like you rarely hear in contemporary blues bands. Chuck Campbell really adds nicely with crying pedal steel riffs and Young, Neeley and Ashley Brown are perfectly placed with vocal backing. Excellent! Hope Finds A Way has a cool R&B jazz feel with nicely blended vocals by DM Miller and Jesse Miller and horns by Barry Arbogast and Stephen Jacob McClean Jr. Miller also steps up with a really bluesy guitar solo on this track that will make you sit up and take notice. Moonshine is a terrific R&B track and Miller's voice really shines. Jason Moynihan adds some sexy sax on top of some slick guitar riffs by DM Miller. Top notch radio track. Spent opens with guitar open into a saturated tube amp.... perfect. With it's funky beat and Chuck Campbell on pedal steel this track moves! Arbogast and Mclean Jr and back on horns and Young, Neeley and Brown on backing vocal but it's the screaming pedal steel that takes this track over the top. Excellent! Carolina Bound demonstrates just how good a song writer Miller is with a beautiful melody, perfectly phrased vocals and excellent lap steel work by Derick Campbell. Careless is a very nicely composed acoustic ballad featuring primarily Miller on vocal and guitar with Ron Davis on accordion. Diggin On Bill is a really cool track with a funky jazz feel. With softly sung and well articulated vocals, Miller is surrounded by well woven instrumentation by Campbell, Bennett, Arbogast, Ehinger and Mclean Jr. Slick guitar riffs by Miller on this track are a nice highlight but this is a very strong track and one of the nicest tracks on the release. Once has a real move to it and makes it difficult not to be dancing in your seat (if not on your feet). The groove factor on this track is really nice and guitar driven with horn backing. Jesse Miller slips in there with some slick organ/piano work adding nicely to the mix. Excellent! Did I mention that this is a cool vocal track... yeah... get the funk out! Movin' On has an unusual time signature adding to the natural tension of the track. Jesse Miller pushes up dynamics of the track with organ and Campbell does a really nice job on drums but I keep coming back to the excellent vocals on this release overall and occasional but hot stinging guitar riffs over the rhythm that are so nicely added. Wrapping the release is Extraordinary, is a great name for this track. How often do you listen to something and think, this reminds me of an early Stevie Wonder composition. This could easily be a SW track from the 70's with it's beautiful melody, orchestration and feeling. I really think that this is a terrific release and one that demands a lot of attention. Miller is an excellent writer/composer/arranger and this guy can sing! Only a natural disaster can hold this guy down. If you only buy one CD this year... this would not be a bad choice! "
donandsherylsbluesblog - Sheryl and Don Crow
http://donandsherylsbluesblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/david-michael-miller-review-may-29-2014/
"The blues is a music that was born of strife, none perhaps greater than man’s constant struggle with good and evil. That pull on a man’s soul is the underlying theme throughout the latest release from David Michael Miller, “Poisons Sipped.” It is a dazzling collection of twelve originals that are indeed treatments to soothe the soul.
David Michael Miller represented hiis home base of Western New York in the 2013 IBC’s in Memphis, and has opened for luminaries such as Bobby Bland and Joe Bonamassa. On this set, he is teamed with Chuck and Darrick Campbell on the sacred steel, the rhythm section of Carlton Campbell and Daric Bennett, Jim Ehinger on keys and Jay Moynihan on sax.
You can’t put a finger on Miller’s voice—he’s got that rugged, powerful style that just screams “soul,” and his guitar playing is along the same vein. His gospel background jumps out at you on the opening cut, the story of “standing down another’s gun” in “Hand Me Downs,” with Darick’s lap steel bearing down like a runaway train. “Moonshine” finds David rekindling a young love affair, and the couple’s subsequent struggles and redemption. This one is set over a sweet, vintage soul vibe, with Jay’s sax and Stephen Jacob McLean’s trumpet setting a cool tone. “Hope Finds A Way in a life worth living” is another song of redemption, with a strong Delta blues influence throughout, as is “Careless,” with accordion from Ron Davis. The set closes with the poignant story of a man who’s got his share of flaws, and who often has “one foot in the shadows, one in the light,” but, to the woman who loves him, he is “Extraordinary.”
We had two favorites, too. As longtime fans of the great Bill Withers, it was refreshing to listen to David singing the snappy funk of “Diggin On Bill,” whenever you need “your spirit to chill.” And, another cut with a Delta underpinning is the somber love story of “Memphis Belle,” a lady of the evening who “soothes like Heaven but hurts like Hell.’ This one features pedal steel from Chuck Campbell.
With “Poisons Sipped,” David Michael Miller has us all coming to grips with our own personal demons throughout this high-energy set. With plans for a live gospel album later this year, we look forward to hearing more from this outstanding vocalist! Until next time…Sheryl and Don crow."