Live Rain

When Ethan Miller finished up with Comets on Fire, he knew exactly which direction his music would take next. That it was so quickly and heavily embraced—by Rick Rubin, especially—ensured that Miller would have enough time to work out the kinks and get the sound the way he imagined it. Playing ‘70s-styled rock is a tricky proposition, since so many of the moves have gone from pure inspiration to heavily clichéd as the decades wear on. Yet Miller doesn’t succumb to those clichés and instead focuses on the beauty that made the ‘70s a time when rock music—and the exalted guitar solo—were on the minds of teenagers everywhere. Naturally, when it comes to a live album, the songs expand and work beyond their precise productions. Guitar solos multiply, and rhythm sections play fast and loose with the arrangements. Songs such as “Phantom in the Valley,” “Self Made Man,” “Lord Have Mercy,” and “Calling Lightning Pt. 2” give the individual players all the room they need to show off their skills—all while providing a wild time that ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd would appreciate.