Some artists make a name for themselves in one genre of music even though they got their start doing something different. Julie Miller is one of those musicians.
Miller has become alt-country royalty, alongside her husband, Buddy Miller. They’ve recorded several albums together, and she’s had a tremendous solo career, even though physical and mental health issues have taken their toll in recent years.
But Miller started out making Christian music — and really good Christian music, at that. She recorded four albums for the Christian marketplace, but her debut album was the best of all of them.
Myrrh Records pulled out all the stops for the release of “Meet Julie Miller” in 1990. Some of the best musicians in Nashville showed up, and guest vocalists from all over the worlds of Christian music — Amy Grant, Russ Taff, Kelly Willard — and folk music — Shawn Colvin, Victoria Williams — came into the studio with the Millers. Buddy produced, and he and Julie wrote all but two of the songs.
The result is a collection of songs that bridges the gap between alternative pop and more traditional types of Christian music while making the most of Miller’s unique voice and hinting at the alt-country goodness to come in her career. Miller leads off with the short a cappella “Dogtown.”
That leads perfectly into the jangle-pop anthem “You Knew the Way to My Heart,” which describes how Jesus sought her out and drew her to Him.
“Mystery Love” is another expression of how God’s love breaks through to people in ways they don’t expect.
Miller starts off “What Would Jesus Do” by reading the parable of the lost sheep. A quiet intro leads into a song about loving others the way Jesus does. Grant and Taff sing backup as the song builds into an anthem.
I don’t know if “Don’t Cry for Me” is autobiographical or not, but it’s about a mother who has passed away but is reassuring her daughter that she came to faith in Jesus before she died.
Miller then covers Mickey Cates’ “How Could You Say No.” If this song doesn’t move you to tears (or almost), you might want to check your pulse.
“King of My Heart” is a fragment of a song that fades out after less than a minute.
The pace picks back up with the irresistibly fun “Song to the Devil (I’m Thru With You).” Try to keep from singing along once you’ve heard the chorus the first time.
“Who Owns Your Heart” is the most dated track on the album. The drum machine and faux-reggae beat just don’t hold up as well as the rest of the songs.
Miller traded in on her vocal similarity to Cyndi Lauper with the quirky, lighthearted “My Psychiatrist.” In it, she compares believing in God to finding a psychiatrist who has the answer to all her problems.
It has great lines like “For mental help, just take a look / He wrote it all down in a best-selling book.” It’s humorous without sounding disrespectful.
“Love Will Find You” is another jangly pop number that presages the alt-country sound that would become her bread and butter in later years.
“Dangerous Place” is a powerful pro-life ballad, which asserts that “A mother's womb is a dangerous place to be these days.”
Miller closes out the album with a lovely rendition of the traditional hymn “I Will Arise and Go to Jesus.” Colvin’s and Williams’ voices blend well with Miller’s, and the result is majestic.
“Meet Julie Miller” is a pitch-perfect snapshot of a certain turn-of-the-decade alternative pop sound, and it’s a wonderfully quirky expression of faith. Miller has made some incredible music since her debut.
“Meet Julie Miller” deserves a bigger audience 35 years after its release. Hopefully, more people will discover this underappreciated gem. Check it out on Spotify or in lossless audio on Apple Music below.
