Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy
The Miller Girl
(Merf Records)

The duo of Steve Hussey and Jake Eddy’s nine-song album, The Miller Girl, features some strong picking and strumming on well-written tunes. “Little Shove” opens, built around a roiling banjo and Steve’s low vocals, while “Into the Ether,” one of the best songs here, is made from a strong-strummed acoustic and Hussey’s sexy, almost breathy verse delivery. The tickle of Eddy’s vocals and banjo plucking rounds it all out into a very memorable piece. These two men work perfectly in sync with one another throughout the album, as is evident even this early in the proceedings. I liked the flicky, acoustic rhythm of “Master Your Mind. ” As it chunks along, it builds even more dangerously, with some wild dobro playing from Eddy. (This boy certainly can play!) The title track is a sweet acoustic tune, again with just the right touch of banjo and mandolin behind Hussey’s longing-for-a-girl lyrics and the tickle of harmony vocals in the chorus sets this one off as another gem here. The fiddle is perfectly placed as well and is featured on the last trio of tunes here: the soft and sweet “Better Day,” the swirling in and around “I Pick You” (another great vocal here from Hussey), and the sad “Sweet.” As these are love songs of one stripe or another, might one suspect what’s on Hussey’s mind presently. Steve Hussey and Jake Eddy’s The Miller Girl is acoustic music done right. You’re gonna like this one for sure!