Universal United House Of Prayer - Buddy Miller

Buddy Miller typically sings about broken hearts and busted romances, which makes his recent outburst - captured on his new album, Universal United House of Prayer - all the more surprising. He recruited gospel singers Regina and Ann McCrary, the daughters of Rev. Sam McCrary, the founder of the Fairfield Four, to sing back-up. He dusted off the Louvin Brothers' 'There's a Higher Power' and the seed of this project came from a nine-minute cover of Dylan's With God on Our Side. 'When the war broke out, I couldn't get that song out of my head,' he explains. 'The melody is so incredible, and the words don't seem 40 years old.'

Songwriter friends Jim Lauderdale and Victoria Williams co-wrote a few tunes, while Wide River To Cross, Shelter Me, and Is That You, all co-written with wife Julie, are courageous, sparingly-made statements that tap into Miller's personal beliefs without ever sounding heavy-handed or sanctimonious.

'I think this is my best record,' Miller says. 'I don't think this is just a gospel record or just a political record,' he says. 'It concerns themes that seem to follow us everywhere we go.' ~ Memphis Flyer (Andria Lisle)

Listen to samples:

1. Worry Too Much
2. There's A Higher Power
3. Shelter Me
4. With God On Our Side
5. Wide River To Cross
6. Fire And Water
7. Don't Wait
8. This Old World
9. Is That You
10. Returning
11. Fall On The Rock