New Road Under My Wheels

Jerry Miller opens up his 2013 album with "Travis Express," a signal that the guitarist owes a significant debt to the great Merle Travis. Then again, most purely instrumental country guitarists do owe Travis a great deal, and Miller doesn't shy away from his love of classic '50s and '60s pickers, using New Road Under My Wheels as a celebration of that whole era, leaning heavily on honky tonk and Western swing to deliver a jumping good time. Perhaps Miller is superficially similar to Junior Brown, another virtuoso country guitarist who also adores roadhouse country, but Brown is a nitro-charged engine throttling down the highway. Miller plays with grace and finesse, a nimble picker who ably complements the number of guest vocalists who pop up on the record (they include his former bandleader Eilen Jewell, Roy Sludge, Miss Tess, and Eric Royer). Miller also isn't a strict purist: he may dig deep for smart Bob Wills and Grandpa Jones covers, but he's also happy to indulge bits of twangy, reverb-heavy stretches that bring to mind silver screen rock & roll of the golden age. It all adds up to a tremendously entertaining album; it's a knowing throwback that celebrates all kinds of mid-century traditions without being beholden to the past.