MARCUS
MILLER
Silver Rain
Koch
Records
With Silver Rain Marcus Miller has
crafted a really sharp amalgam of funk, rock, jazz, and
R&B styles that has just the right amount of sheen without
slipping into glibness. This is going to be a classic album
a few years down the road, one that numerous young musicians
will cite as having been influential in their development.
Despite many triumphs as a leader, part of Miller’s
reputation has always rested on his years in Miles Davis’
band and as the collaborator in creating the sound of Miles’
last several recordings. Silver Rain makes clear
how influential Miller was in crafting such Davis recordings
as Tutu and Amandla. Davis must have been
influential on Miller as well. Coming from a time when many
styles of popular African American music were being brought
back together to form a cohesive, whole musical language,
Miller must have been drawn to Davis’ constant challenge
to himself to continue to innovate at all costs.
On Silver Rain Miller has created
a completely mature statement of what he is about as a musician
and producer. Leading off with a brief sample of Eartha
Kitt from the movie Boomerang (“Maaaahcus,
darling!”), things get truly underway with a series
of Miller originals. The leadoff is “Bruce Lee,”
a beat-heavy funk workout that has sharp edges, but nonetheless
displays finesse in ways not typically found in music of
this kind. Miller provides much of the music here, aided
by Gerald Albright, who checks in with his Adderley-esque
alto sound, tumpeter Patches Stuart, keyboard whiz Bernard
Wright, and a vocal sample from Lalah Hathaway, who is a
frequent vocal contributor to Marcus’ projects. The
track sets a low-key atmosphere that is sophisticated, but
leaves plenty of room to dazzle later in the program. Miller’s
atmospheric “La Villette” will either attract
or repel in direct relation to the listener’s ability
to enjoy what is basically a somewhat overwrought R&B
song that is kicked into a new dimension by Miller’s
attempts to sonically represent a collage of sounds heard
while living in a Paris apartment. It’s the kind of
thing that could be really horrible and mawkish, but after
a few listens I believe that Miller truly pulls it off.
One of the best things about the last original
Miller track for a while, “Behind The Smile”
is that, although it has a perfect pop melody and could
easily be a big hit with lyrics and a solid female singer,
Miller instead leaves it as an instrumental. Miller’s
ability to turn the electric bass into a gorgeous melodic
instrument is on full display, as is the very beautiful
harmonica work of Gregoire Maret, who has also graced albums
by Me’shell Ndegeocello and Cassandra Wilson.
Next Miller hits us with three very different,
completely realized performances of other peoples’
music that are right on the money. Edgar Winter’s
“Frankenstein” is still the hard-core rock jam
monster you remember, but it gets a new, funky edge that
was really always there, just needing to be brought to the
forefront. Patches Stewart and Kirk Whalum both unleash
solos that keep the heat level high. Stewart’s lines
race up and down the trumpet’s registers while Whalum
opts for a more honking R&B approach Though the guitar
could never be banned from this number, Miller definitely
turns his bass into the hero here, and provides some nice
Stanley Clarke via Larry Graham action, playing smooth lines
and popping bass interchangeably. Those who cringe at the
thought of Miller and company taking on Beethoven’s
“Moonlight Sonata” will be pleasantly surprised:
it’s neither too funked up nor too schmaltzy. Performed
as a slow, bluesy ballad, Miller again displays his mastery
of the singing side of electric bass. This series of tracks
concludes with a cover of “Boogie On Reggae Woman”
that pumps up Stevie Wonder’s original just enough.
Miller does pretty much everything on this track except
drums (courtesy of Poogie Bell) and tenor sax (Kirk Whalum).
Additional support is lent by DJ Mocean Worker (Adam Dorn).
After another brief interlude Miller gets
the second half of the disc underway with the title track.
Miller’s notes explain that he and Eric Clapton (who
provides vocals and guitar work on the track) had begun
work on this tune several years ago. The songwriting credits
also include KEM, Joey Kibble, and Bill Withers. Regardless
of its lineage, the song is easily the best vocal track
on the album. Miller again has amazing support on this track,
including alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and it comes off
as a completely successful track. In fact, this seems like
it could easily be a hit record. “Make Up My Mind”
is a nice melody with heavy blues overtones that Miller
performs on bass clarinet (along with everything else except
harmonica, courtesy of Maret again).
Miller takes on Prince’s “Girls
& Boys” largely because of the heavy baritone
sax part that had been used on that track. Here Miller transfers
that part to bass clarinet and provides a rocking version
with the help of guest vocalist Macy Gray. Gray sounds really
great in this environment, another tribute to Miller’s
abilities as a producer, providing the right cast of characters
for the sounds he wants to hear unfold on the recording.
Miller’s solo performance on Duke Ellington’s
“Sophisticated Lady” is his most straight-ahead
jazz performance on the recording, even though the does
use synth strings and a rhythm loops to create a kind of
smoky, romantic modern urban environment. Still, his bass
clarinet playing is as distinctive as ever. Miller concludes
the regular program with Jimi Hendrix’s “Power
of Soul” which is very tight and allows Miller to
really blow off some steam technically. It’s not the
most powerful performance on the CD, but it does nicely.
After another very brief interlude, Miller
presents a performance of “If Only For One Night”
as an encore and a tribute to Luther Vandross. It’s
a loving tribute, played in much the same style as the original.
Of course, Vandross was another heavy influence on Miller,
because he created smooth, modern R&B that still seemed
to have some connection, in terms of quality, with the great
soul singers of the past. There’s also a ‘hidden
track’ reprise of the title track, which provides
a more satisfying ending. Despite some slight weakness near
the end, Silver Rain is a must-have for fans of
Miller, fans of electric bass, and fans of modern R&B
and fusion.
