Parker Millsap
The Very Last Day
(Okrahoma/Thirty Tigers)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Those who were first exposed to singer-songwriter Parker Millsap on his well-received 2012 self-titled album, or better yet saw him and his fiddle/bass backed duo live, knew this was a young artist who was beginning to find his voice. And what a voice it is.
Parker’s uncanny ability to effortlessly swoop into a falsetto croon, which he does often, sounds like no one else short of Jack White. Add that to songs that mix folk, blues and gospel with a dynamic, occasionally caffeinated rockabilly attack for a sound and style that not only belies his youthful age, but is informed by music recorded decades ago. Still, there is nothing musty or explicitly retro about Millsap’s sound.
It’s all there on opening track “Hades Pleads” that finds the demon inside the protagonist chasing after a female conquest he’s ready to crown as “Queen of the Devil.” Millsap also gets sexually frisky on “Wherever You Are” where he implores his lover to “come out, come out, come out/ I just wanna ring your bell” urged on by a blues rock vibe that progressively builds tension. Things get substantially more serious on “Heaven Sent” where a gay son speaks to his father asking him to accept his sexual orientation, all set to heavenly backing vocals and crying fiddle. It’s not just one of this album’s highlights, but one of the most touching and poignant tracks of the year.
Perhaps choosing Delta icon Mississippi Fred McDowell’s overly familiar “You Gotta Move” as the release’s only cover is on the obvious side. But, it allows the singer to combine his blues and gospel approaches in a stark, even rousing performance that digs deep into his emotional core, making the song sound surprisingly fresh. Parker rocks out on “Hands Up,” kicking up dirt when asking for forgiveness as a thief who explains to the people he is mugging “I ain’t a bad man/ just a man outta luck … but put your hands up.” He strips down to acoustic guitar for the bittersweet “Jealous Sun” and gives Bo Diddley’s beat a slinky workout on the rhythmic “Pining.”
The album closes with the pensive “Tribulation Hymn.” It brings Celtic-inspired folk to the table, ending the disc on a somewhat disturbing post-apocalyptic theme that alludes to a religious threat, a concept subtly alluded to throughout the eleven originals. At only 36 minutes, it’ll leave you wanting more, convinced that Parker’s previous set was no fluke and that his career as an electrifying singer-songwriter has just begun.