Album Review: Shaela Miller, Big Hair Small City

Shaela Miller's an Alberta-based country belter who followed up 2018's Bad Ideas with plenty of good ideas for songs. While there's a bit of honky-tonk in the material, Miller's excels on boogie-based blues like the punchy "Crying Blues" midway through the 10-song effort. But it's the slower, country-infused ditties that Miller nails, sounding like some offspring of Lucinda Williams and Brandi Carlile. Whether it's on the toe-tapping "The Devil In You" or the toe-tapping title track, she's breathing new life into Canadian country music circles. 

The singer rarely misses her mark, particularly on the Skinny Dyck-penned "Tombstone Grey" which is anything but limp. Meanwhile the closing "Good Woman" is a world-weary, roots-filled ballad with perfect accompaniments. It's a perfect one-two punch with the album's opener "I'm Gonna Fall" which sets the bar high early. The album's highlight is the methodical but marvelous "700" that builds one verse at a time.

Miller wrote eight of the 10 tracks presented here, proving she's more than just a pretty voice with 924 contributing songwriters behind her as is the case with most country songs these days. Like big hair this album is full, rarely gets out of hand and has plenty of shine.

Big Hair Small City was released July 9, 2021.
Listen to it here.