Upside Downside

Scott Miller and the Commonwealth, Scott Miller | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B00009KUB2
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,443 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, native Scott Miller first gained attention as part of Knoxville roots-rockers the V-Roys, who briefly recorded for Steve Earle's E-Squared label. On Upside Downside, the follow-up to his 200l solo studio debut Thus Always to Tyrants, Miller once again acquits himself admirably as a quintessential heartland rocker and the closest thing the "Old Dominion" has to its very own Earle or John Mellencamp. Backed by his crackerjack band, the Commonwealth, Miller delivers a superb mix of blistering, often Virginia-specific rockers ("Raised by the Graves") and acoustic, country-tinged forays ("Amtrak Crescent" and "Ciderville Saturday Night," both featuring newgrass master Tim O’Brien on mandolin), tempering each with sobering self-realization, hard-fought wisdom, and self-effacing humor. A fine groove-driven instrumental called "Chill, Relax, Now" and a couple of frenetic, humorous rockers, including "It Didn't Take Too Long," add to the fun. --Bob Allen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb followup, July 1, 2003

By 

Music fan (Norfolk, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Upside Downside (Audio CD)

"Thus Always to Tyrants," Scott Miller's solo debut after leaving The V-Roys, was one of the best albums of 2001 (and its cover using the Virginia state seal earned him a cease and desist letter from state lawyers with too much taxpayer-funded free time on their hands). With "Upside/Downside," Miller proves that record was no fluke with a typical mix of songs that are loud (rocking) and not so loud (folkie) and just plain fun (a disposable homage to Booker T & the MGs.)

There's nothing as grinning as the opening line to the last album's "I Won't Go With You:" " Man, this beer is colder than the shoulder you would give me if I were to tell you the truth." But there are lines that come close, especially in "Second Chance": "I don't want to fight. Sometimes I'm always right. I'd love to change it, but you know I can't so I need a second chance."

It's typically smartass Miller, a William & Mary graduate who is as wise and funny about his Virginia heritage as any writer around -- on page or on disc.

Musically, Upside/Downside careens from straight ahead rock ("It Didn't Take Too Long") to bluesy rock ("Pull Your Load" to folk storytelling ("Amtrak Crescent" and "Ciderville Saturday Night," both featuring Tim O'Brien's mandolin). The Commonwealth returns as his backing band on most cuts and Patty Griffin stops by to lend her ethereal vocals to "Angels Dwell" and "The Way."

Like the first record, Miller explores finding your way as a Southerner in the modern world. "I'm headed out to find what it is that makes a man want to come home," he sings in "The Way. "I've had enough off the way I was. Seems like it's time to learn the way."

Overall, it's a typically precocious record, one that offers bits of musical tapas for country, rock or folk fans.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Sophomore Effort, July 3, 2003

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Upside Downside (Audio CD)

Scott Miller & the Commonwealth follow up their excellent debut album, "Thus Always to Tyrants," with another excellent album full of worthwhile songs. Miller has become the master of the three minute song, and the 12 tracks on "Upside Downside" clock in at a tidy 36 minutes in total. The "Upside" includes a number of burning rockers, with "It Didn't Take Too Long," "The Way" and the mostly instrumental "Chill, Relax, Now" being the highlights. The following "Downside' is softer and more accoustic, and is highlighted by the story song "Amtrack Crescent," the Patty Griffin duet "Angels Dwell," and the World War Two memories of "Red Ball Express."

The album's only downside is that it fails to expand substantially on anything Miller has done earlier in his career. The rocking tracks sound a lot like his old band The V-Roys, and "Red Ball Express" merely continues in the same historical storytelling vein as "Highland County Boy" and "Dear Sarah" from his Commonwealth debut. Nevertheless, "Upside Downside" is still a strong album from a very talented songwriter who very much deserves a bigger audience.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It didn't take too long..., June 27, 2003

By 

Jim English (Barboursville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Upside Downside (Audio CD)

"It Didn't Take Too Long" for me to realize this is an excellent record. With a tip of the cap to Chuck Berry, the record is off and running. "Chill, Relax, Now" could be the next sports anthem played at every halftime, time-out and 7th inning stretch in big-league parks around the country. "Red Ball Express," Miller's first song about WWII, marks him as possibly the best war songwriter since Johnny Horton. "For Jack Tymon," with nothing but guitar and vocals is simply beautiful. Very few writers could cover such territory on one record and make it work. Somehow, Scott Miller finds "The Way."