These came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got ’em. Here’s what I said about them back then (with some minor editing):
Ccountry has always had more than its share of great husband-and-wife teams. Think Johnny Cash and June Carter. Think George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Now think about adding Buddy and Julie Miller to that list. Plenty of others already have — including artists like Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale and Emmylou Harris, all of whom guest on Buddy’s striking third album Cruel Moon. Not that he needs help. With a voice rich in rootsy twang and tinged by a touch of nasal yodel, Miller creates rough-hewn tales of heartbreak and regret in a style that straddles the unvarnished honesty of Earle and the songcraft of John Hiatt. Cruel Moon is easily one of the top roots releases of ’99. And Julie’s Broken Things isn’t far behind. Her unique, unforgettable girlish voice can be as fragile as Victoria Williams one minute and as sassy as Wanda Jackson the next — as can her songs. Buddy may pack more punch, but since both of them write and play pretty much everything on both these discs, you really can’t miss with either release. Even on their solo albums, they’re the family that plays together.
