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Written by Mandy Jordan Tuesday, 01 August 2006 04:52

"I Need You" feels like a throwback to the days of Mellencamp; it just makes me want to go buy some fireworks, celebrate everything American, and eat some apple pie.

 

Go ahead and sign me up for 28 days of coffee and cigarettes. Miller Howell's appropriately titled debut EP, Habits Can Be Hard to Break, is like acoustic crack for my tweaking ears. He's gathered together six sweet tracks that make you feel like you're being pulled from your center to revolve around his strong yet vulnerable voice.

A storyteller at his very core, Miller is perhaps one of the most charming and genuine men you'll ever meet. He's the kind of guy who'll hang out in the audience after his set and make everyone he talks to feel like they're the only other person in the room.

Though his music is amazing, what speaks more to me is his unfailing character. I honestly believe that his penchant for storytelling comes from the fact that he's actually present in his own life, observes details that would put others to shame and has a memory like a steel trap.

He's the kind of guy who'll dedicate a Ryan Adams song to you because he can look at you and tell you've had the kind of day that would make most people lose it. He's the kind of guy who'll attend both the baby shower you threw for your brand new puppy and that puppy's first birthday party, bringing gifts both times. He's the kind of guy who'll show up on a Sunday to help you pack your life away before you move across state lines into a brand new adventure. Please note that he refuses to pack anything delicate and/or breakable, save electronic equipment. (OK, yes, it should probably be noted here that I know Miller. Personally. But regardless, I'm still a fan of his music.)

And I really believe that his good nature comes through in his music. In the simple styling of his vocals, his willingness to push bold, risky jumps, and the soft, tentative vibrato that makes me a little weak in the knees.

The EP's first track, "Tomorrow Comes," starts with the sadly nostalgic lyrics, "Had a good job, had a good life, had a good love, had a good cry..." The song moves forward to expose the universal sense of doubt we all experience when it comes to making decisions and trying to figure out our own lives. Up next, "I Need You," feels like a throwback to the days of Mellencamp; it just makes me want to go buy some fireworks, celebrate everything American, and eat some apple pie.

Miller wrote one of my favorite tracks, "I'm Here," after the death of a friend, and it's one of the most touching songs to see performed live. The recording starts with humming guitar chords and builds to delicately plucked raindrops of sound. He doesn't sing the words so much as he emanates them, as if they are a part of his very being. Makes me think all music should be so visceral.

"Kirksville," the fifth track, is actually a song written years ago that's been resurrected, to the album's benefit. It tells the story of a pained breakup, and while it starts off somewhat predictably, everything comes together in the end and it earns its place. The last song on the album, "Miracles," makes it onto my list of all-time favorite songs, due simply to its strikingly simple yet unpredictable melody, the gentle delivery of the vocals, the strong guitar riff toward the end-and the fact that it's a mushy, gushy, love song with a happy ending, and I just swoon for those.

Definitely, most definitely look for more good things to come from Miller Howell. Get the CD from CDbaby.com. Check out his Web site at www.millerhowell.com. And-what the hell?-while you're at there, tell him Mandy says hi.